Chapter 40: A Blessing Beyond Measure

Ethan exhaled slowly, realizing that dealing with a curse was far more complicated than he had imagined.

’It’s fine… I only need to restrain it temporarily, until I grow strong enough to fight on my own.’

Reaffirming his resolve, he lifted his gaze back to the witch.

“I understand the situation well enough. Let us begin—there is no time to waste.”

He sat down, removed his coat, and exposed the back of his neck.

He wanted this over as quickly as possible.

Meanwhile, tension was clearly written across Luna’s face. She clutched her mentor’s robe tightly.

“M-Master… will I really be able to do something like this? I… I am not as talented as my sister Moon.”

Her voice lacked confidence entirely.

Vanessa frowned.

“Luna, stop belittling yourself.”

She removed Luna’s hat and forced her to meet her eyes.

“Do not compare yourself to your sister. Each of you has your own strengths—and your own weaknesses.”

It seemed Luna carried a deep-seated inferiority complex toward her older sister.

Ethan listened quietly from below.

In some way, he understood Luna’s feelings.

Moon Heart was a Prisoner—a magical knight.

She wielded both sword and sorcery, a rare combination, and possessed a powerful Blessing: the Blessing of the Phoenix.

Moon herself was also Vanessa’s disciple and could enter this place freely.

The old witch was fully aware of Moon’s abilities .. but that did not stop her from encouraging Luna, to the point that she said something that truly caught Ethan’s attention.

“Your sister may be exceptional,” Vanessa said gently, “but when it comes to pure sorcery alone… you are a far superior witch, my dear Luna.”

Vanessa smiled kindly.

Luna’s expression wavered, caught between embarrassment and hesitation.

But in the end, she drew strength from the unwavering trust her mentor placed in her.

“I’ll do it!” Luna declared loudly, as if to steel her own resolve.

Seeing this, Vanessa smiled .. proud of her disciple.

“Then let us begin.”

Luna nodded and descended to where Ethan sat.

He turned his head slightly, glancing at her from the corner of his eye, a faint smile on his lips.

“Looks like we’ll be stuck together a little longer. Take good care of me, will you… Luna Heart?”

Under normal circumstances, Luna would have snapped back at him.

But she didn’t.

Which told Ethan just how tense she truly was.

“Take it easy,” he added calmly. “I’ve nothing to lose—even if you fail.”

Despite everything that had happened between them, Luna was still younger than him.

His words were those of an adult reassuring a junior.

“I’ll do my best,” Luna replied, her tone brimming with determination.

Meanwhile, Vanessa began preparing the ritual.

She intended to kill two birds with one stone—restrain Ethan’s curse, and give her disciple a genuine trial as a form of training.

“Draw upon the mana stored within the surrounding crystals, Luna,” Vanessa instructed.

“And construct the barrier using your blood directly .. maximize the effect.”

“Yes, Master!”

Luna followed Vanessa’s instructions to the letter.

This time, she was holding her staff—granting her access to her full power.

It was a long staff, nearly as tall as she was, crowned with a strange blue magical gem.

Luna closed her eyes and raised the staff high.

Taking a deep breath, she allowed the surrounding mana to pour into her body—drawing it in to the absolute limit.

Only seconds passed before something occurred that stunned Ethan and caused Vanessa’s smile to widen gradually.

Luna’s body erupted in a brilliant blue radiance.

At the same time, every crystal ..and the chamber itself .. glowed with the same hue, responding to her call.

Ethan immediately activated Raven Eyes.

He knew—without a doubt—

That something extraordinary was unfolding.

The moment he activated his visual ability, Ethan witnessed something astonishing unfold before his eyes.

“The mana… it’s reacting to her…”

Through his enhanced sight, he could perceive the health bars and mana reserves of those around him. And what he saw now was nothing short of breathtaking.

Luna’s mana gauge stretched far beyond its original limit.

No ..

It extended to an absurd degree, lengthening past anything he had ever imagined possible.

“This… this is a Blessing,” Ethan murmured.

From the distance, Vanessa let out a soft chuckle.

“So you noticed.”

The old witch’s voice carried quiet pride.

“Luna carries a remarkable Blessing of her own—just like her sister.”

She continued,

“Her Blessing grants her extraordinary affinity with surrounding mana. Mana is naturally drawn to her… it constantly gathers around her body.”

Ethan’s eyes widened.

“That means…”

Vanessa nodded, revealing why she had entrusted this task to Luna.

“It is the Blessing every mage in the world dreams of. Her affinity ensures her mana reserve never truly depletes.”

“A mage with an infinite reservoir…” Ethan finished for her.

“…can cast without interruption.”

“Exactly.”

That was why Vanessa had declared Luna the superior sorceress .. at least in terms of pure magic.

Ethan turned his attention back to Luna, who remained unaware of their conversation, utterly focused.

He reevaluated her entirely.

And for the first time, he seriously questioned why she had never appeared as a character in the game.

“Her potential is terrifying…”

Even he felt a sting of envy.

“What a strange family…” he muttered with a faint smile.

From the Uncrowned Emperor Asterion himself ..

To his granddaughters, Moon and Luna ..

It seemed the Heart lineage was filled with monsters.

The mana absorption did not last long.

Luna opened her eyes once more.

The tension had vanished from her expression.

Her crimson eyes now blazed with a magnificent glow .. reflecting the immense power coursing through her.

“I’ll begin drawing the barrier.”

Ethan nodded and turned, exposing the back of his neck.

Luna bit down on her index finger, drawing blood infused with mana.

Slowly. Carefully.

Under Vanessa’s guidance, she began tracing a magical formation around the Blood Eclipse Mark.

At first, Ethan felt nothing .. only the warmth of Luna’s blood against his skin.

But ..

Within seconds, the mark ignited.

Not metaphorically.

It burned with such ferocity that Ethan felt as though a red-hot blade had been driven into the back of his neck.

“Endure the pain! Whatever you do, do not lose consciousness!” Vanessa shouted as she saw Ethan biting his lip hard enough to draw blood.

Ethan cursed through clenched teeth.

“I know, damn it! I won’t pass out—just finish it quickly!”

He endured.

Relying entirely on his demonic body.

His body could withstand what no human could.

But it was not immune to pain.

It merely forced him to remain conscious.

And so Ethan endured .. second by agonizing second.

Luna continued tracing the sigil, forming a complex arcane pattern around the mark.

Meanwhile, Ethan was cursing ten times per second.

“No one told me it would hurt this much!!”

Midway through the process, something changed.

A dangerous surge of mana erupted from the mark.

Dark.

Oppressive.

Vanessa immediately stiffened, tension written across her face.

Despite her vast experience, this was her first time dealing with a mark of this nature.

“What a vile power… Just what kind of monster marked him?” she muttered, cold sweat forming along her brow.

Fortunately ..

Aside from the violent emission of dark mana ..

Nothing catastrophic occurred.

No sudden collapse.

No destructive backlash.

Vanessa exhaled quietly in relief.

Moments later .. It was over.

Luna staggered backward, collapsing onto the ground behind Ethan, gasping for air.

Ethan fared no better.

He dropped forward onto his stomach, barely able to breathe.

His body was drenched in sweat.

But at least ..

Their suffering had not been in vain.

The Blood Eclipse Mark had returned to stillness.

Encircling it was an intricate magical formation .. drawn in Luna Heart’s blood.

“She succeeded,” Vanessa declared at last.

“The curse has been successfully restrained. Well done, both of you.”

She attempted to praise them.

Neither responded.

Ethan was still processing the trauma of the ordeal he had just endured.

Luna lay sprawled on the floor, gasping, her body desperately replenishing its mana.

They looked almost identical in their exhaustion.

Vanessa burst into laughter.

“Rest for now, both of you. We will speak later.”

She turned and walked away, leaving them behind.

“With that… my part of the deal is complete.”

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