“So, this is what it was capable of,” Asher looked at the infromation about his sword.

| Sword of Chaos |

| Rank | : D Rank Sword

| Description | :Marked by the blood of the Host and the Host became the True Owner of this sword.

| Abilities | :Increases sharpness in each strike by using your aura.

| Abilities |: Absorbs the Aura of the Enemy and strengthens the Aura of the Owner of the Sword

| Property | : Evergrowing – Absorbs the aura of the enemy to strengthen the sword itself

| Passive | :Will grow with the Host’s Potential No Limit

| Passive | : Locked, requires the enchantement from the Second Gem

| Passive | :Locked, requires the enchantement from the Third Gem

In his previous life, his sword grew while absorbing his aura and the aura of those he killed, but it halted at S Rank and never progressed further.

“A sword that only grows stronger the more people I kill,” Asher said, examining the information.

Aura was a power unique to humans; monsters did not possess it. Only Weapon Masters could harness this power.

His sword required a different type of aura from that used by others. While it absorbed Aura from others, it strengthened itself with the aura surrounding the Mana Core.

The strongest and purest Aura was found near the Mana Core of the Hunters, and the only way for his sword to absorb it was to plunge it inside their mana hearts.

Asher’s gaze fell upon two abilities displayed before him.

In his previous life, his sword absorbed the aura of its victims but failed to enhance its own power beyond S Rank.

Therefore, Asher had to expend his aura to bolster the sword, ensuring it could compete with higher-ranked blades.

“So this property was flawed,” Asher noted, examining the Evergrowing attribute of his blade.

He noticed his finger still bled, yet the needle from the ring armor had vanished once the runic sequence was completed.

“So I am the owner,” Asher declared, gripping the sword and making a light swing.

He could sense that, though it remained D Rank, it had already improved significantly.

It felt more familiar, but two of its abilities were still locked.

“And the clue lies here,” Asher said, returning the sword to his spatial ring.

“Show me the second paragraph again,” Asher requested, and the system displayed the translated version of the unknown text from the book.

——————————

In completeness, this book lacks,

Seek the missing in the talent’s tracks.

Amidst the Creation of Runes, the finest art,

There you’ll find the missing part.

——————————

From the moment he read the second paragraph, he had a hint about the text.

“The best runic creation,” Asher reread the lines.

In human history, one thing was often brought up when discussing the best rune creation: the Trial’s Ground, one of the most coveted places in this world.

This place allowed people to enhance their talents, a method superior to using artifacts for self-improvement.

Regardless of the path you chose, talent was a constant.

You were either proficient in mana handling, or your body was built to be a Weapon Master.

However, some were better than others. Even individuals with the same elemental affinity could have stronger or weaker affinities.

Like Helena Raven, reputed to have the strongest Black Element affinity among all people. That affinity was also a talent.

Before the creation of the Trial’s Ground, it was believed talent was fixed, but that notion changed after its introduction.

“It will be easier to retrieve it,” Asher mused. He didn’t know why the missing part of the runic sequence was in the Trial’s Ground, but it simplified matters.

The Trial’s Ground was the primary reason for the establishment of the World Academy.

It was also why Farnus made so many mana oaths, intending to become the protector of the Trial’s Ground.

“It’s about time,” Asher said to himself, returning the book to its shelf.

It was around this time in his previous life that Arthur reached SS Rank. He’d received the news from Sylvie, who informed him and Amelia about Arthur’s impending attempt to break through from S Rank.

Arthur had been at S Rank for years, but his breakthrough required a massive amount of mana.

Those in the Greville family who inherited the Crimson Red Eyes were all associated with Mana-related bloodlines.

Arthur possessed an S Rank bloodline, making his body require an SS Rank Hunter’s mana amount at S Rank.

While this slowed his ranking progression and required him to spend a lot of time at SS Rank, it also meant that if Arthur ever reached the peak of SS Rank, he’d be the only person in the world capable of holding mana similar to an SSS Rank at SS Rank.

In his previous life, Nathan’s death had caused some concern about the Grevilles regaining their power during Arthur’s rank-up. However, aside from his family, no one knew about Arthur’s bloodline ability.

***

At the Mage Association Tower,

Two old men sat in the highest room of the tower.

“Why is the Seat Holder of the Greville family here?” Silvus inquired, his amber eyes meeting the crimson ones.

“I’m just passing some time,” Nathan replied.

“Why are you revealing your presence in the entire area surrounding my association?” Silvus asked.

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“Do you think someone would harm your family head in my presence?” Silvus challenged. Nathan’s implication was that he didn’t trust Silvus or his abilities.

Arthur was currently using the Mage Association’s Mana Rooms, considered the world’s best and reserved for the Seat Holders of the High Council.

“And what?” Nathan countered, releasing his mana towards Silvus.

At Nathan’s provocation, Silvus also released his mana. Unlike Nathan’s dominating aura, Silvus had a distinctive silver-colored mana.

Silvus, known as the Archmage, had a mana color famously known as Silver Mana, different from the typical blue mana color.

However, both of them were cautious with their mana use.

“I’ve already allowed Arthur to use your Room; don’t test my patience,” Silvus warned.

In the next moment, both men retracted their mana simultaneously. Neither was interested in fighting.

Silvus had always maintained neutrality with all the Elite Families. He had shown support only once—for Farnus, when he advocated for the World Academy’s construction.

“I will retract my presence, but I’ll stay here until he completes his rank-up,” Nathan retorted, his eyes fixed on Silvus.

Nathan’s face hardened as he looked at Silvus.

‘This is troublesome,’ Silvus thought.

Nathan’s behavior confirmed he was serious about staying until Arthur’s rank-up was complete.

****

Days ago at Abyss Guild Headquarters.

“You’ll stay there for a week. Do you think the Chairman of the Mage Association will permit that?” Arthur challenged Nathan.

Silvus was known to dislike members of the elite and influential families.

“Why do you even want to accompany me?” Arthur questioned, puzzled by Nathan’s sudden desire to join him.

“You’re taking my Mana gems, right? Why don’t I reclaim them?” Nathan responded, arching his eyebrows.

“When did they become yours?” Arthur protested, slamming his hand on the desk.

Nathan refrained from voicing his concern about the many families that might disapprove when Arthur ranked up. The power they were amassing was enough to threaten numerous elite families.

With Ivar’s children—once known as the Greatest Talent ever born—and Asher, who was currently breaking records set by Ivar, Nathan was aware of potential repercussions.

But his main worry stemmed from the Dungeon Explosion that occurred more than nine months ago. Nathan didn’t believe it was a natural event, a conclusion drawn from his excursion into the dungeon and his high mana sensitivity.

‘It can’t be natural,’ Nathan thought.

Despite his suspicions, he lacked proof of who was behind the attack.

There were too many individuals who would benefit from his demise.

Although he was aware that creating Dungeon Explosion artificially was impossible but he had been inside too many dungeons to believe that his instincts were wrong.

“Just follow my instructions,” Nathan said as he grabbed Arthur’s shoulder.

“Or I will drill some common sense into your brain,” He used his mana pressure.

‘This damn old man,’ Arthur said as he gave in to Nathan’s demands.

And this was why Nathan was present in front of Silvus right now.

He was intent on ensuring that no one would interrupt Arthur’s rank-up, because if someone were indeed behind the Dungeon Explosion, Nathan surmised they held enough power in this world to execute such a plan.

He didn’t want to gamble with Arthur’s safety, despite his certainty that Silvus wasn’t the perpetrator behind the incident.

For now, Nathan wasn’t prepared to take any risks.

“I will leave once he completes his rank-up,” Nathan confirmed to Silvus.

From his attitude, Silvus inferred that Nathan was not going to take no for an answer.