‘But do I care? No, I don’t.’ Mikael’s lips curled into a small, determined smile. ‘I’ve come to genuinely appreciate Amelia during the time we’ve spent together, and I’m determined to “court” her. I don’t know if “court” is the right word—maybe “conquer” fits better. Either way, we’ve grown significantly closer in a short time, and I think that’s impressive considering this is my first attempt at pursuing a woman. With Kiara, it was less about me conquering her and more about her conquering me,’ he thought with a rueful smile.
‘Anyway, back to the matter at hand—Wernon and the Digeglide family. I’ll remember this.’ His expression hardened, and a cold glint appeared in his eyes.
Mikael then grabbed his phone and started researching his newfound enemies. He learned that the head of the Digeglide family, Favian Digeglide, was a powerful SS+ ranked warrior and Wernon’s father.
Seeing this information, Mikael’s brows furrowed. He continued his search but found little on Wernon beyond basic common knowledge. ‘It seems the family is actively protecting his details. Nothing useful here,’ he thought with frustration.
Ending his research, Mikael sighed. ‘I can’t afford to be careless. With an SS+ rank warrior as a potential enemy, who knows what else they might have hidden. And all this because of the jealousy of a young master. Looks like I’m stuck at the Academy until further notice.’
He sighed again. ‘I doubt Wernon can send assassins after me while I’m at the Academy—his head would roll for challenging royal authority. But the moment I step outside, it’s open season.’
The situation was frustrating, especially since Mikael had just discovered a lucrative LP farming method, only to lose the opportunity before fully exploiting it. Yet, this annoyance only strengthened his resolve. He clenched his fists. ‘I need to grow stronger. The strong are always right!’
Initially, Mikael had planned to delay his breakthrough until his control improved further wanting to maximize the gain, but he knew he could no longer afford to stay stagnant. This time, he barely defeated two D+ rank assassins in a grueling fight. Next time, his enemies would undoubtedly be stronger, and as he was now, he stood no chance.
He checked his energy levels:
Aura (Dirarnia World): F- Tier 534/534 → 540/540
Mana (Dirarnia World): F- Tier 527/527 → 535/535]
His core had grown slightly from the strain of the battle, but he could feel it nearing its limit, stretching to accommodate each additional point above 500—a feat only possible because of his exceptional control.
He assumed a lotus sitting position and began reminiscing. ‘So, what do I know about breakthroughs?’ He placed a hand on his chin, adopting a contemplative expression.
‘From what Emily explained, breaking through involves condensing your aura or mana core until it becomes smaller, returning to its initial size. By doing so, you increase the density of your aura or mana, making it significantly more potent.’
‘The potency gained from condensing a core depends on two factors: talent and control. These factors determine how much energy is lost during the process. Higher talent minimizes energy waste, and better control ensures the same.’
‘I’ve also learned a bit about major breakthroughs, but those don’t concern me for now. Let’s focus on my first breakthrough.’
Just as he was about to start, a thought crossed his mind. “Uh, Records, could having injuries during a breakthrough be a problem?”
[Answer available for 20 LP. Do you want to pay? Yes/No?]
‘Oh, 20 LP? How cheap. Wait—factor in the additional 100 LP I’ll be spending soon, and it’s not so cheap anymore what a ‘surprise’!’
[Transaction confirmed. Answer: Being critically injured during a breakthrough can be dangerous, as the process is physically taxing. However, minor injuries that are healing won’t cause any issues.]
Reassured, Mikael returned to his lotus position and focused inward, directing his attention to the space near his heart where his two cores resided.
‘Which one should I start with?’ After a moment of consideration, he decided. ‘I’ll go with the aura core—it’s the one I use the most.’
Following the instructions Emily had given during the Ranker Path class, Mikael visualized his aura core. Once he had a clear image in his mind, he began commanding the aura within to condense.
At that moment, he could feel and partially see the aura particles colliding with each other, almost as if they were battling. Surprisingly, the sensation wasn’t painful as he had expected, though it was deeply unsettling. Ignoring the discomfort, Mikael maintained his focus on the process, determined not to make any mistakes that could diminish his potency gains.
He steadily guided the aura in his core, condensing it as the core itself gradually shrank. The battling aura particles were forced to fuse together as the contracting core left them no choice. This scenario repeated across the entire core.
After what felt like an exhausting effort, Mikael managed to reduce the core to one-fifth of its original size.
At that moment, a notification appeared before him:
[F- Rank Aura Core nearing breakthrough to F Rank Aura Core. Two options available:
Mikael halted the breakthrough process just before its completion and carefully read the notification. He felt a bloated sensation emanating from his core, knowing he didn’t have much time to decide. Quickly, he chose the second option: +1 to all stats.
His reasoning was simple. ‘Physical stats become progressively less impactful as I grow stronger, especially compared to the boost provided by the aura cloak. By enhancing my SPI and INT, I’ll accelerate my learning speed and strengthen both my aura and mana.’
However, the benefits would be delayed, as his current stats were already at their limit. The new stats would only be applied once he unlocked a higher stats limit.
[Choice two confirmed.]
Mikael resumed his breakthrough process. Moments later, a sudden boom echoed through the room as a wave of aura burst from him, behaving like a strong gust of wind.
Unbothered by the commotion, Mikael focused on the new notification before him:
[Breakthrough from F- Rank Aura Core to F Rank Aura Core completed. Aura potency increased by 62%.]
Though he felt slightly fatigued, he decided to continue and proceed with his mana core breakthrough.
Forty minutes later, another shockwave rippled through the room.
[Breakthrough from F- Rank Mana Core to F Rank Mana Core completed. Mana potency increased by 61%.]
Having successfully completed both breakthroughs, Mikael exhaled deeply before smiling in satisfaction and checking his updated energy stats.
Aura (Dirarnia World): F- 540/540 → F 100/100
Mana (Dirarnia World): F- 535/535 → F 100/100]
He nodded in satisfaction once more, pleasantly surprised by the potency gain, which was higher than he had expected—even considering his level of control. He attributed part of the improvement to his mage talent, which likely enhanced the mana core breakthrough, and to his warrior talent, which probably aided the aura core.
Having completed a double breakthrough, he was in a good mood and wanted to train further. However, his body was still in pain, and he didn’t want to risk worsening his condition.
Instead, he decided to train his control again, reasoning that it would strengthen him in the long run. Control training was one of the few productive activities he could manage, especially since there weren’t any classes scheduled for the day.
He briefly considered going to the training room but dismissed the idea, choosing instead to sit on the couch in his dorm. With his current level of control, the aura and mana he lost while doing the advanced control puzzles was minimal. He knew he could train for an entire day without even depleting his reserves, so why bother sitting on the uncomfortable floor when a couch was available?
Settling comfortably, Mikael started his training. Having already completed the 50th and final level of the puzzle previously, his new goal was to clear all the levels—from 1 to 50—in one continuous attempt as quickly as possible.
He set a timer on his phone and began.
“And… stop,” he said, halting the timer. He glanced at the screen and saw that 1 hour, 34 minutes, and 15 seconds had elapsed.
‘Pretty good, but I can do better,’ he thought.
Motivated, he resumed his training, steadily reducing the time needed with each subsequent attempt.
Hours passed this way. The afternoon turned into night, and the night into morning. By late morning, Mikael stopped his training and headed to the Ranker Path class.
The class covered some useful topics, but nothing particularly groundbreaking. Mikael only paid partial attention, preoccupied with planning his future actions, until Emily rannounced:
“…On another note, you’ve probably noticed that the older students have started interacting with you over the past few days. Starting today, club recruitment will also begin. These clubs are run by students and offer various activities, such as arts, painting, soccer, basketball, and similar hobbies. There are also combat-related clubs, like dungeon diving, archery, mage theory, and more. I won’t list them all.”
“These clubs are entirely optional, but if you’re interested, head to the main plaza near the cafeteria. There, you’ll find stands where upperclassmen are recruiting new members.”
With those words, she dismissed the class. The students quickly got up, ready to leave and check out the clubs.
Mikael also rose and made his way through the chatting students toward the front desks. He stopped near Amelia and asked, “Want to check out the clubs?”
Recognizing him, Amelia replied simply, “Sure.” She stood from her seat and walked beside him.
Nearby, Aria noticed the interaction and, seeing an opportunity, called out, “Amy, can I come with you?”
As she spoke, her thoughts raced. ‘Amy took my joke too seriously when I said she’d found her charming prince! Falling in love with a commoner is a terrible idea. They’re so different from us nobles, and our worlds don’t mix well.’ She paused, contemplating the situation before reaching a firm decision. ‘No, I need to protect her!’ she thought with determination.
Hearing this, Amelia felt a small wave of disappointment, which surprised her. She realized that she had been looking forward to spending time alone with Mikael. Reflecting on her emotions, she acknowledged that during their time together, Mikael had grown on her more than she had expected.
“Amy?” Aria’s questioning voice broke her thoughts.
Amelia snapped out of her introspection, her expression unsure. Torn between wanting to spend time with Mikael and not wanting to disappoint her best friend, she turned to Mikael with a look that silently asked for his opinion.
Mikael, seeing the situation, held back a sigh and said, “Sure, no problem.”
Aria beamed at his response, but Amelia’s neutral expression betrayed a hint of dissatisfaction.
At that moment, another voice spoke, this time male. “Mind if I join too?”
It was Lucas. Seeing the group, he decided to seize the opportunity to speak with Mikael and attempt to sway him to his family’s side.
Lucas wasn’t particularly close to Amelia. He was only there because he was Aria’s fiancé, and Aria was Amelia’s best friend. Still, his presence was tolerated for that reason.
Having already allowed Aria to join, Mikael couldn’t reasonably refuse Lucas, so he nodded in reluctant agreement.
The group left the classroom, attracting the attention of nearby students who were drawn to the conversation. Some whispered and exchanged curious glances at the unusual gathering as they moved towards the main plaza.
On the way, the group chatted with each other.
However, "the group chatting" was a bit of an exaggeration; in truth, it was mostly Mikael and Amelia conversing, with Aria occasionally chiming in.
Soon, the four of them arrived at the main plaza. It was a large, open space bustling with students from various years. Numerous club stands were set up, each manned by upperclassmen and marked with signs indicating which club they represented.
The group began to tour the clubs, checking out what they offered while engaging in casual conversation. Mikael spoke with all three of them but primarily with Amelia, making her smile and even laugh occasionally.
He didn’t talk much with the other two, mainly because they felt like third and fourth wheels. But also, Lucas gave him an uneasy feeling, almost like a snake lurking in the grass. As for Aria, though she was cheerful with everyone, Mikael noticed a haughty glint in her eyes whenever she spoke to him. Honestly, she didn’t interest him at all.
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