Chapter 114: Second Heart [3]
[Hidden Quest: A Thorn in the Side]
[Status: Completed]
[Description: You have interfered with Mesmer’s plans and disrupted his ritual. As a result, the invasion on Luminara Academy will be slightly delayed.]
[Reward: Rank 3 Artifact (Unclaimed)]
Ronan stared at the notification.
Slightly delayed.
That meant Mesmer’s invasion was still coming, just later than originally planned. All things considered, that was very important information to have.
And the reward...
Before Ronan could open the reward, however, the door creaked.
Light spilled into the dark room.
Aura stepped inside, her purple eyes glowing faintly in the shadows.
Her gaze locked onto him.
Her eyes widened.
Then a violet thorn shot forward, wrapping around Ronan’s throat.
Not tight enough to injure him, just enough to show the threat.
Aura spoke slowly, her voice cold and deliberate.
"Who are you? I want a detailed answer."
Ronan stared at her.
Every time I go into that dimension, I wake up to Aura asking me who I am. What a paranoid girl.
He almost laughed.
Ronan raised his arms slowly, not in surrender but in casual acknowledgment.
"Relax, Princess," he said, his tone light and mocking despite the violet thorn still coiled around his throat. "I’m Ronan Ashbourne. I found you in a slave market, we signed a mana contract, I told you about your mother, Helena Acheron, and that artifact hiding your horns. You hate being called Princess. You also hate humans in general, though you tolerate me because I’m useful and because our contract prevents you from killing me even when I’m insufferable."
Aura’s eyes narrowed, but the thorn loosened slightly.
Ronan continued. "You came to Luminara Academy disguised as a second-year transfer. You’re ranked second in S-Class. During the Inter-Class War, I ordered you to steal Class B’s node and kill Marcus Vrell. You resisted the second order but agreed because I promised you a favor afterward. You’re here now because I summoned you after Mesmer crushed my heart."
The thorn withdrew completely.
Aura stepped back, arms crossed, studying him with wary suspicion.
"I can’t believe you survived."
Ronan shrugged.
"I can’t believe it either."
Aura’s gaze shifted to his chest, then back to his face.
"You broke through two minor stages."
Ronan tilted his head slightly, processing the statement, then opened his status window.
[Ronan Ashbourne]
[Age] – 18
[Status] – Severely Injured
[Gender] – Male
[Class] – Mage
[Mana Core] – Stage 1, Final Stage
[Skills]
[Mana Control LVL 11] – You can control the mana in the air with beginner level proficiency
[Fireball LVL 8] – You can cast a small fireball that will explode on impact
[Mana Recovery LVL 12 (passive)] – You can regain mana at a very slow pace
[Stealth LVL 9] – Allows you to hide your presence
[Flame Mirage LVL 3] – Create a temporary flame afterimage while displacing the real body a short distance. The mirage carries heat, visual presence, and faint mana fluctuation before collapsing into a weak flame burst when struck or dismissed.
[Steel Bone Armament LVL 4]
A brutal reinforcement technique that uses repeated fractures and forced mana circulation to harden the user’s skeletal structure. While active, damaged bones recover faster and become denser after each break, but the process inflicts extreme pain and strains the body heavily.
He stared at the screen.
He had seen it earlier when he checked, but there hadn’t been time to think about what it meant.
Now that he looked again, the advancement felt impossible.
"The demon leech rapidly purified my core," Ronan said aloud, speaking as much for himself as for Aura. "Twice. In a few hours."
He paused, frowning.
"But that shouldn’t be possible. Going up two minor ranks that quickly would destroy anyone’s mana core, no matter the method. There should have been backlash. Instability. Core fractures at minimum."
Ronan’s fingers brushed his chest, feeling the steady rhythm of the second heart.
"So how did it purify my core without destroying me? And more importantly – why?"
Aura interrupted before he could spiral further.
"Your bones have also gotten significantly stronger."
Ronan looked up.
"I noticed it when I was treating you," Aura continued, her tone clinical. "Your ribs should have stayed shattered. Instead, they reformed faster than they should have. But the reason is not a mystery. The leech preformed Steel Bone Armament on you while you were unconscious. The control was perfect. Beyond perfect, actually. I’ve only seen mana manipulation that refined once before – from my mother – but even hers wasn’t as precise."
Ronan wasn’t surprised internally.
If the demon leech was truly a Rank 5 entity, or had been one before its injury, then perfect mana control made sense.
It would also explain why the Steel Bone Armament was in his status screen.
But if the demon leech was the one who used it, why did it get added to his status screen? Perhaps the leech had taken over his body momentarily?
That would make sense, he thought. He was unconscious the whole time, so he didn’t actually know for sure, but that was the most likely explanation.
But the glaring question remained.
Why did it help me?
Purifying his core would only serve his goal – reaching Rank 5 before full assimilation.
The leech should want him weak, dependent, and easier to override. Making Ronan stronger by purifying his core would work in his favor
Unless –
Ronan’s expression darkened as the obvious answer settled into place.
It doesn’t see me as a threat.
Reaching Rank 5 in just over a year was impossible.
Even Aura had said so.
Rank 3 perhaps, and even that was difficult. Rank 5 was where the most powerful people in the world walked.
The leech wasn’t helping him escape his fate. No, it was making the host body stronger so it would inherit a more refined vessel when the override would eventually be completed.
That thought irked him.
"What day is it?" Ronan asked suddenly.
"Sunday morning," Aura replied. "We’ll need to return to the Academy by tonight."
Ronan nodded slowly, then met her eyes.
"I feel myself on the verge of another breakthrough. The breakthrough to Rank 2. "
Aura tilted her head, confused.
"Why are you telling me that?"
I wasn’t able to use the Pain-Tempered Circulation Technique for as long as I thought I would, but I might as well make use of it now.
Ronan grinned.
"Because I’m going to need your help, Princess."
