Chapter 100: The Night of Compliments (2)
[Skill Class Level Up!]
[Your Manaheart skill level has risen to the rank of
A message floated in front of his eyes, but Lloyd remained in a state of stupor. His eyes were open, but nothing was processed. He remained in a sitting position with his focus resting solely on his inward thoughts.
Ziiing! The manaheart was packed with three rotating circles, and mana of incredible density and purity flowed into him through them. This experience shocked Lloyd.
Whew!
A piece. A breath. Even when that small amount of mana entered his system, his manaheart tumbled in tumult, making him feel like he was a teacup inside a storm or a bucket catching the ocean. He couldn’t take the inflow of mana that came in violent waves. He could only take a tiny portion of the whole, and that alone ripped apart his manaheart. Clash!
Ack!
A searing pain shot through his body as his mana ripped to pieces. But at the same time, he felt refreshed as everything was destroyed and disbanded, only to be put together and regenerated. In no time, his manaheart was restored, stronger and better than it was previously. He could take a bit more mana. But the influx of mana from the queen remained overwhelming and ripped apart his manaheart again. Just like that, his regenerated mana heart was ripped apart and shattered over and over again. It was restored only to be torn apart and regenerated once more. The cycle of endless destruction and revival. Lloyd sweated like a horse. Black droplets of sweats seeped out of his pores. It was the result of the dark and clouded energy that accumulated in his body throughout his life. And when the powerful mana of the sword master made its way into his system, it pushed and discharged the clouded energy out of him.
Argh…
His whole body shook, but he endured in his stupor. Five minutes, which felt like unbearable torture, passed. And at last, the three circles, which were going berserk like a black hole, quieted down.
Ziiing… Their rotation slowed, and the devouring absorption stopped. The result was tremendously wretched for those around Lloyd. Everything around him within a 200 feet distance was far from okay. The table dried up and crumbled to dust. The chair beside it met the same fate. The rose as well as the bugs in it had disappeared without a trace. Any metal objects were covered in rust, and the bricks for the walls and ceilings turned soft. Within the distance, the only one that had remained safe was Queen Magentano.
“Huff…!! Huff!”
Is it finally over? He is not going to start again, is he? He must not. I am not confident that I can endure another round.
Queen Magentano, who was pale as a sheet, lifted her head after a struggle. The mana absorption was brutal. She felt proud that she had survived the storm.
Even a mid-level sword expert, no, a high-level sword expert wouldn’t have survived.
You would lose all your mana and be drained of life eventually, dying all dried up and bloodless like a mummy. The thought of it made her break out in a cold sweat.
Goodness… What kind of technique is this…
Her trembling eyes traveled to Lloyd. He was calmly sitting at the center of the violent mana vortex. She saw his eyes slowly open. Black like always. But she noticed that his gaze shone and sparkled after being cleansed of the dark energy it held before.
Oh.
It was only then that Lloyd was able to see the message in front of him.
What is this…?
Ding Dong.
[Skill Class Level Up!]
[Skill Name: Manaheart.]
[Stage: Low-Level Sword Expert Lv. 1]
[Physical Ability Improvement Rate: 300%]
[Current Inventory of Optional Skills: ① Shock Neutralizer / ② Complete Immunity to Poison]
[Required RP to level up: 300]
[Your Manaheart skill level has risen to the rank of
[Your manaheart has undergone exponential growth amid the confusion by chance. For this special experience, your skill has gained new upgrades.]
[Skill Option 3: Frenzy – You will fall into a state of frenzy for 60 seconds. When it’s on, you will blindly move toward the target designated prior to activating the option. During this time, all pain will be numbed, and you will never faint. Your strength, stamina, and reflexes will be increased by 200%. (Limit: You can only use this once per day.)]
[Current RP: 4,029]
What the heck is this?
Dazed, Lloyd’s eyes widened. He was happy and flustered at the same time. It was only natural since all he did was activate the Supercharge optional skill of the Asrahan Core Technique. Why? This new optional skill seemed appropriate to use in this situation and testing it out seemed like a good choice. So, he tried it out, closed his eyes, and fell into a stupor. He felt like his eyes were closed only for a few seconds. And when he opened them, he had become a low-level sword expert!
It’s been five minutes already? But even so, how is it possible that I became a low-level sword expert even after that? He couldn’t believe it. But he couldn’t deny the change in him when his surroundings were reduced to ashes. The table and chair were crumbled to pieces. The metal adornments had grown rusty. The bricks had softened. The carpet was faded as if it was 100 years old. Lloyd’s gaze traveled to the queen, who was despairingly looking at him about five feet away from him.
“You… You… What are you?”
Queen Magentano was stuttering, unlike her. Her face looked worse than a while ago. She wasn’t this pale when the poison was killing her. Right now, her skin was so white that she looked like a terminally ill person who had never received sunlight for a whole year.
Did I do that to her?
It looked like it. The description of the Supercharge skill in the message seemed to agree as well.
Yeah. It said that the skill absorbs all the surrounding mana in large amounts without discrimination.
But he had no idea that it would be this annihilating. The suction of the mana occurred with an unimaginable force. This made Lloyd embarrassed for a second, but he soon brushed it away because that was not what mattered right now. The queen was now healed from the poison, and he was alive. It was time to go help Javier.
Javier is up against a sword master.
Lloyd was worried even if Javier had a God-given talent. His opponent was Sir Kyle, the sword master. Lloyd couldn’t imagine how Javier would last against a knight of such caliber. If he was unlucky, he could have already lost.
I hope that didn’t happen. Please.
Lloyd bolted up in anxiousness. Thankfully, his leg didn’t give way. He was rather energized from rising to the level of a low-level sword expert. Lloyd quickly supported the queen.
“Your Majesty, is your body all right?”
“Do I look all right in your eyes?”
“…”
“I shall ask again. What are you? What did you just do?”
The queen’s gaze was filled with suspicion. It traveled to the hole in the ceiling that showed the night sky. And then it moved downward.
“I have never heard of those techniques you displayed earlier… the discharge of explosive mana and the rapid absorption of my mana…”
“Indeed, Your Majesty.”
“Can you explain what they were?”
“Why, yes, Your Majesty. However, may I plead that we have this conversation later?”
“Is it because of Sir Asrahan, the knight of yours?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Is it because you are worried about him?”
“I wish to move at once and help him,” Lloyd said with confidence.
“I am of the same heart. Let us move. Can you carry me on your back?” the queen asked.
“It is my honor.”
Lloyd then turned backward, and the queen got on his back right away.
“I shall run now,” Lloyd said, and without waiting for her response, he sprinted.
Swoosh! His steps were faster than before, and using the energy in him, he rushed out of the rest area. He sprinted along the long corridor, direly wishing for Javier’s safety. He planned to join the fight right away the moment he arrived at the banquet hall. He would stand side by side with Javier and fight against Sir Kyle.
I will be able to help out since I have become a low-level sword expert.
Plus, he owned a triple circle. If things went wrong, he could always bazooka the knight with his triple mana blast. And though the chances of him getting heavily injured were slim, it could happen given that he had little knowledge about his skill.
So just hold up a little more!
Jump! Sprint! Lloyd passed the passage lit by a dancing chandelier. He turned the corner and jumped off the stairs. Meanwhile, the queen focused on recuperating on Lloyd’s back.
Good. Just a little more.
The queen was still circulating her mana. A skill unique to sword masters. Thanks to being carried by Lloyd, her face recovered color, and she looked much better. Her exhausted muscles were vitalized once again.
About one-third of my power has been recovered.
Surely, it wasn’t satisfactory. But it was enough to put up a fight. And since she was with Javier, Lloyd, and the other knights present in the hall, she believed that Sir Kyle would be easily defeated.
Sir Kyle.
Her eyes burned with sad rage. He was the longest-standing commander of the knights. He was her sword teacher, her most trusted subject. But today, he was the traitor that laid a sword on her neck.
Why? Why did he do it?
She couldn’t wrap her head around his reason for betrayal and who was behind this. Her venomous efforts to pinpoint it failed. Every suspicion and fact was like shards of glass scattered in thick clouds. The more she thought about it, the more determined she became.
Sir Kyle. I shall never let you off the hook. Your death shall never come so easily. Every scheme of yours, and the people behind you shall be revealed.
Only after then would the queen behead him.
That will be my farewell to the subject I once cherished.
Grit! Deathly rage. Icy coldness. The queen’s shoulders trembled as such emotions surged in her. At the same time, she prepared herself for the bloody battle soon to take place in a moment. Just then, Lloyd, who was running the corridor, took a final turn.
Leap!
“Huh?”
Lloyd flinched in surprise as he ran, stopping dead in his tracks. He looked ahead.
“Javier?”
His gaze lay at the exit of the corridor, where a man was standing with his back facing Lloyd. The chandelier brightly lit up the banquet hall, and several long swords glinted against the light. The brilliant lights blinded Lloyd, so he could only see the outline of the figure. However, he could still recognize who it was nonetheless.
“Javier. Are you all right?”
“Yes, Master Lloyd.”
Javier turned to his side. There was a smile on his face. Lloyd meant to scold him for smiling in such a grave situation. He was about to until he was forced to clamp his mouth shut. Right before the words of rebuke came out, Lloyd’s eyes saw the outline of a man whose body lay limp in Javier’s hands. The outline was familiar to Lloyd’s eyes as well.
Could it be…?
Lloyd thought it was impossible. He blinked several times. He looked again. It was definitely him.
“Wait, did you arrest Sir Kyle?”
“Yes, Master Lloyd.”
“And you cut his right arm?”
“Yes, Master Lloyd.”
“What about you?”
“Excuse me?” asked Javier.
“I mean, are you hurt?”
“No. Thankfully.”
“Okay, good. That’s all that matters,” Lloyd assured.
That was truly all that mattered to Lloyd. Once he confirmed that Javier was A-OK, Lloyd finally let out a chuckle of relief. He trudged toward Javier, standing side by side as the exhaustion started to creep up inside him. Meanwhile, the queen got down from Lloyd’s back and joined the two of them.
“Listen.”
Her voice dripped with seriousness and dignity. Like a roaring lion, her voice brought silence across the banquet hall. The swords that pointed to Javier hung down, and dozens of guards gulped in nervousness.
“Tonight, Sir Kyle dared to assassinate me, and these two brave men have risked their lives to save my life,” announced Queen Magentano.
Even amid the poisoning and lack of energy, she remained indomitable nonetheless. Everyone in the hall took their knees before her prideful and relentless declaration. Not a single soul dared to lift up their heads or steal a glance at her. And as her announcement shed light on the events, everyone was greatly shocked. The trustworthy Sir Kyle, the commander of the knights, turned out to be the traitor. And when they slowly lifted their heads, they saw Lloyd who was supporting the queen even now. Then, everything became clear. Lloyd Frontera. This man protected the queen tonight, they thought to themselves. Just then, a message popped in front of Lloyd.
Ding Dong.
[You have accomplished yet another stunning achievement tonight.]
[All of your past achievements and accomplishments have satisfied a hidden condition. A new system has been made available as a result.]
[