Chapter 140: 3-Star (1)

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“It’s not easy trying to study again after playing around. It would’ve been better if it was two days instead of just one.”

When all the lectures ended, Maximilian stretched and yawned.

After a full day of outside field trips, Bayern had returned to daily life.

Except for the report that had to be submitted before the next lecture, the atmosphere was the same as usual.

However, among them was one cadet nodding off.

“Laysis, the lecture’s over.”

“…Ah, huh.”

At Yuria’s hand tapping her forearm, Laysis quickly came to her senses.

After encountering a shard of the Demigod Kailos in the undiscovered ruins, she had only managed to return to Bayern at dawn after a fierce battle.

Carl had told her to rest, saying he would take responsibility for at least a day, but as a princess, she had to maintain her dignity without flaw.

She quickly washed, dressed, and came to the lecture.

Of course, due to the aftereffects of having her body taken over and the exhausting schedule, sleepiness kept pouring in.

She somehow endured by pinching her thigh with superhuman willpower, but by the time today’s lectures were all finished, perhaps slightly letting her guard down, she eventually dozed off.

“Now that’s something. Laysis, you, of all people, dozing off in class.”

“I had a rough time yesterday.”

“Did Carl work you that hard?”

“Carl…!”

Thud.

At the mention of Carl, Laysis tried to jump up from her seat, only to bang her knee.

Fearing unwanted attention, she lowered her head and silently let out a muffled scream while her shoulders trembled.

When she finally recovered, she glanced sideways and saw that the seat where Carl had been sitting with his friends was already empty.

“…That’s not it. I just spent a lot of time exploring some ruins.”

“Where did you go? Wiblem Temple?”

“I did go there too.”

Laysis briefly looked around, gesturing Yuria closer and lowering her voice.

“Actually, I discovered a new ruin.”

“…Really?”

“Yes. By the gargoyle statue placed on the mountainside behind the city.”

“Ah, I think I know. Isn’t there nothing there?”

“The gargoyle statue was the entrance. There was a passage leading underground.”

“…”

Yuria slightly parted her lips.

It was a secret passage even she hadn’t known about.

‘As expected.’

Unless someone already knew, discovering such a hidden passage was impossible.

Carl had definitely gone to challenge the undiscovered ruins, aiming for a Hidden Piece.

“What was inside?”

“Gold coins and jewels. But because of an accident, we only managed to take part of it.”

Laysis shrugged as if regretful.

This was something they had already agreed was fine to talk about.

It wasn’t something they would openly brag about to Bayern or the clubs, but since Yuria was already in the same boat with Carl, there was no issue.

‘As long as it’s not officially mentioned, there shouldn’t be a problem.’

The ruins would be investigated first by the people under Carl, without being publicly announced.

If something meaningful was found, it would be reported to the academy, otherwise it would be buried.

Since it was the altar of a forgotten Demigod, it was bound to cause troublesome issues in many ways.

“Lucky you. You must’ve pocketed quite a haul?”

“Not small, I suppose. Enough to roughly fill up my exile funds.”

“That’s good to hear.”

Yuria smiled faintly.

But at the same time, to gauge Laysis’s intent, she subtly continued.

“Was there no Artifact? If it was an undiscovered ancient ruin, something like that should’ve been there.”

“An Artifact?”

Laysis tilted her head, recalling carefully.

There had been piles of jewels and wealth.

In the fortress’s library, there had been plenty of books with unknown origins.

“But nothing that looked like an Artifact. Carl didn’t take anything separately either.”

“Hmm, is that so?”

Yuria clicked her tongue.

Either they really hadn’t found anything.

Or Carl had taken it without Laysis knowing.

Naturally, Yuria assumed the latter.

There was no way nothing could be found in ruins like that.

She was certain Carl had definitely taken some Artifact.

‘If it was a Seed, that would be a jackpot.’

If she could obtain a Seed, Yuria would have been willing to abandon every spell she had ever learned.

That’s how much of a cheat-like Hidden Piece it was.

Of course, since it appeared at extremely rare odds, even Carl wouldn’t have gotten his hands on it so easily.

“When you get your reward, you’re treating, alright?”

“Yes, let’s call Carl and go together.”

With a faint smile, Laysis nodded and stood up.

“All today’s lectures are over, right? Shall we go to a café and take a break?”

“I have a gathering. Laysis, I think it’d be better if you just went and slept. Your eyes look tired enough already.”

“…What?”

Laysis widened her eyes slightly as she looked at Yuria.

“Yuria, you also have gatherings you attend?”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Well, you know. Other than me and a few around you, you don’t really have friends. You don’t need to bluff. I’ll go rest quietly.”

“You really don’t hesitate to say rude things.”

Yuria flicked her finger, giving Laysis a light flick on the forehead.

But how painful could a magician’s strike be?

Laysis chuckled and rubbed the spot she was hit.

“I was joking.”

“I know.”

Yuria also smiled faintly.

For Laysis, who valued formality and dignity, to speak so casually—it showed just how much affection she held for her.

“It’s a gathering with other cadets from the Magic Towers.

Mostly idle chatter and complaints about the professors, that sort of thing.”

“Ah, I see.”

Laysis nodded.

The magicians from the Magic Towers were treated specially even within the academy.

Of course, not in a good way.

They had extra assignments, experiments, and training, several times harsher than the average cadet.

“Anyway, I’m off.”

“Yes, see you tomorrow.”

Waving goodbye to Yuria, Laysis soon frowned and rubbed her neck.

Her muscles were stiff, still not recovered from yesterday’s fatigue.

“I want to loosen it up with training.”

If she sweated it out once, wouldn’t she feel better?

Standing blankly in place for a moment and staring at the clear blue sky, Laysis quietly moved her fingers and sent a message to Carl.

“You’re taking a break today?”

“Yes, the fatigue from yesterday just won’t go away…”

“Right, you said you got back this morning?”

“What on earth were you exploring?”

At the words that she had been exploring until morning, Gale let out a dry laugh.

With a shrug, Carl excused himself from his companions and postponed the study session to the next hour.

Today, he was more eager to explore the new power he had gained from yesterday’s ruins.

Bidding farewell to his friends, Carl rented one of the training halls.

During the process, Laysis sent him a message, but he replied perfunctorily and immediately focused here.

‘Righteousness, Demonic Way, and Divinity.’

Truthfully, he wanted to make up some excuse and be absent for two or three days.

If it were at NOX headquarters, he could unleash his energy without worrying about others’ eyes.

But at the academy, there were always watchers in hidden places.

‘Once someone reaches the level of Magician or Sword Master, they become sensitive.’

If he acted carelessly, he might get caught in their gaze, so caution was necessary.

Of course, there was a method.

And today was the first step in testing that method.

Ssshhhhh—

Standing in the center of the training hall, Carl closed his eyes and exhaled.

Mental and physical fatigue still lingered heavily.

His battle with the Demigod Kailos had been that grueling.

‘If I had fought head-on, my chances of victory would have been maybe two out of ten.’

And that was while Laysis’s body had been taken over.

It wouldn’t be wrong to say there had been almost no chance of winning.

But the being had gotten greedy and even tried to seize Carl’s body.

That was why it hadn’t been too difficult to drag him into the Space of Mental Imagery.

“Phew.”

Exhaling again, Carl began to contemplate his inner self.

Bright Heaven Divine Art, Heavenly Demon Divine Art, and the unfamiliar new energy.

The remnant of divinity stolen from Kailos asserted itself boldly, scattering an unmistakable presence.

Of course, Kailos’s consciousness had already been completely absorbed and extinguished.

If not, wouldn’t he be making noise and constantly trying to steal this body?

‘The key is how I cultivate this.’

The energy of righteousness was handled through Bright Heaven Divine Art.

The energy of the demonic way through Heavenly Demon Divine Art.

Unity was achieved through the Primordial Unity Divine Art.

But divine power?

There was no information on how to cultivate it in the first place.

‘Divine power is strength bestowed by a god through faith.

But the Demigod Kailos was not a complete god.

He was a half-god from the beginning, and even his true body was shattered and sealed in fragments.’

In that state, simply showing faith wouldn’t be enough to grant power.

Besides, he had no intention of becoming the priest of any god.

‘I need more research into divinity.’

Calming his mind and body, Carl delved deeper into his consciousness.

To the world some called the unconscious, others called the Space of Mental Imagery.

At first, it was an empty void.

But when Carl stretched out his hand, heaven and earth came into being, and countless plants spread under his feet.

Descending into that place, Carl looked around with a melancholy expression.

“…Back in the Central Plains, this was a realm only possible at the end of one’s life.”

The Space of Mental Imagery.

Every human carried their own imagery within.

But only a limited few could directly enter inside.

Only those of a certain level or higher were granted the qualification to enter.

In his days in the Central Plains, Carl had only barely been granted this qualification just before attaining the title of Greatest Assassin of the Central Plains.

By his own will, he had constructed a space within his imagery and created a world.

A space bound by no restrictions, existing only for him.

In other words, a space where everything imagined could be manifested—a realm of omnipotence.

“Thanks to that, my realm advanced rapidly.”

Now, not by choice but by circumstance, he had connected several times to the Space of Mental Imagery, forcing the path open.

Originally, for Carl’s level to reach this point would have taken another one or two years at least.

But because of his encounters with demons and Kailos, he had reached the Space of Mental Imagery much earlier.

“Not today, it seems.”

Carl lifted his head and looked up at the sky.

Today, he could not feel the aura of the Heavenly Demon that had appeared when Kailos had invaded this space.

Nor was there any trace of the Bingbaekmok that had once frozen everything around.

It was disappointing, but he believed there would come another chance to meet again.

Nodding, Carl rolled his shoulders and clenched his fist.

“The fastest and most efficient way to learn about divinity is, after all, this.”

He would seal away all other energies and fight using only divinity.

If he could create a situation as close to real combat as possible, his senses would heighten in order to survive.

And the opponent to drive himself to the edge—there was only one choice.

Step.

From behind a tree ahead, a figure wearing a Black Mask stepped out, making his presence known.

“…Chilling.”

Carl wore a faint, tense smile.

Unkillable Mu-ak.

It was his past self, once whole in realm, standing there and staring at him with lifeless eyes.

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