Mystic Warden Lv. 32

  Mystic Warden Lv. 33

  Skill Gained: …

  …

  Warrior Lv. 15

  Warrior Lv. 16

  Skill Gained: Shield Bash

  Bze Imbiber Lv. 20

  Bze Imbiber Lv. 22

  Skill Gained: Gut Alcohol

  Skill Gained: I Know My Liquor

  When I opened my eyes, a long text floated before me.

  "They didn't merge," I muttered, disappointment heavy in my voice. I had been hoping for a fusion. If not all three csses, then at least two. I would have been thrilled if my Warrior Css and Bze Imbiber had merged. It would be even better if my August Madam Css had combined with either of them.

  It would have instantly made me powerful with the level and weight of my August Madam Css. Unfortunately, nothing of that sort happened.

  I shook my head and pushed away those thoughts.

  I focused on the text, and a moment ter, a smile couldn't help but appear on my face. The csses may not have merged, but I made a good advancement.

  I had leveled up twice in Warrior and even gained a skill. It was the skill I had wanted.

  Shield Bash.

  This will be a tremendous help, and now, with my experience and strength, I can bash monsters with my shield without worrying about breaking the bones in my arm.

  I had leveled up twice in Bze Imbiber, reaching Lv. 21. Very few people ever reach this level in a single css, and I had managed it in two. Though I felt a twinge of disappointment that my main css didn't advance, it wasn't entirely surprising—Bze Imbiber was already an exceptionally powerful css.

  Reaching the milestone of Lv. 20 had granted me two new skills, and to my surprise, both were entirely unexpected.

  They are also rare and made me excited.

  Gut Alcohol.

  It is a passive skill that will make my body produce its own alcohol.

  With it, I won't be entirely dependent on outside liquor. It was one big drawback of Bze Imbiber.

  I have read about it in a book about drunkard csses and skills. It is a very rare skill, even at Lv. 30, but I got it at Lv. 20.

  The second skill, I Know My Liquor, is intriguing. It allows me to understand the properties of any liquor I drink instantly. This will be incredibly useful, especially since I'm always on the lookout for liquors that can give me an edge in battle.

  Interestingly, I didn't gain any offensive skills from Bze Imbiber this time. Both skills come from the Drunkard aspect of the css, but I don't mind. These two abilities will still prove invaluable in the long run.

  ….

  Silver

  "Set sail, Captain," I ordered.

  "Yes, my lord," replied Captain Perry with a bow, and a minute ter, the yacht began to move.

  On the fourth day of our return journey, it was a little past midnight when we finally reached the town of Mahal, where our ships were docked.

  Though we could have stayed the night in the city, I chose not to. It would have been a waste of precious time.

  So, we continued our travel through the night until we reached our ships.

  Now that we've reached the ships, the rest of the journey should be smooth—unless we're attacked. So far, the first half of the journey has been uneventful, but I can't let my guard down.

  Baxzar worried me the most. Not only because it's the pce where I've been attacked before and could easily be ambushed again but also because the artifact might be known of there. It makes us a tempting target.

  I did everything I could to wipe away the signs of the artifact, but I still could not wipe the dread in my heart.

  Thankfully, we were able to pass through the Baxzar Dominion smoothly.

  "I'm finally feeling relieved now. I thought we'd get attacked at any moment," said Margaux.

  "Me too," someone replied, her voice echoing the same tension easing from all of us.

  A few minutes ter, I walked into my suite and descended into sleep.

  I woke in the morning. It was a little te, but everyone except Margaux and Dawnstar slept te. They have rest skills and don't need as much sleep as the rest of us.

  I had breakfast with them and spent a few minutes on the deck before returning to my suite.

  I want to practice my aura. I didn't do that for the past three weeks. I didn't even ever bring it out of me.

  I wanted to do that on the way, but I wanted to be at my peak at any time. Even now, it is not entirely safe, but I want to practice it.

  I've learned so much from my battles, and now I'm eager to see how much of that knowledge and experience I can apply.

  I sat down cross-legged and took a couple of deep breaths before bringing out my aura.

  I felt it before moving it around gently.

  I sensed that my connection with it had improved. I could feel it at a deeper level than before.

  I pyed around with it for a while before finally turning to the practice. I decided to do the yer exercise; it will help me determine how much my control has improved.

  I moved my aura slowly around. Covering myself with the thin yer of it.

  It took me mere seconds to cover myself with a yer of it.

  It made me want to smile, but I had controlled my emotions and moved the aura to form the second yer.

  It moved slowly and smoothly, covering the first, and soon, the second yer was also complete. This used to make me sweat, but I barely felt any strain.

  Seeing the yers take shape, I focused, controlling the aura with precision, and began forming the third yer. The difficulty was there, but not as much as I had anticipated.

  There wasn't even a bead of sweat on my forehead, so I pressed on, moving to the fourth yer. This one made me sweat, but I pushed through and completed it.

  Looking at the four yers stacked together, I couldn't help but feel a mix of awe and fear. They were powerful—scary, but undeniably amazing.

  A few seconds ter, I started work on the fifth yer, and it was something.

  I moved slowly because the slightest mistake could cause it to colpse. I didn't want it to colpse, so I proceeded very slowly.

  It took a long time, and I was drenched in sweat, but I had finally finished it. The sense of accomplishment surged through me, filling me with satisfied happiness.

  Now, I want to try for six.

  It would completely drain me, and I want to avoid that at all costs. I might get attacked, but I'm close to my goal now. I don't want to lose the ground I've gained, not when I've come this far.

  If I give up now, I won't be able to push myself till I reach Grelthaven.

  Sailing downstream, we will be there the day after tomorrow, but I don't want to wait.

  After much reflection, I decided to go ahead.

  With one deep breath, I began working on the sixth yer, feeling the challenge intensify.

  The five yers beneath me shook as my control wavered, loosened by the intense concentration required to form the sixth.

  Quickly, I reinforced my hold over the previous yers, covering them carefully before channeling my complete focus back onto the sixth.

  Using everything I had learned from my battle against the mercenary and the duel I had watched in the archmage city.

  The pressure is immense. I began to feel a powerful headache, which made me want to give up, but I didn't.

  I moved the yer further and further. No matter how much it started to hurt me.

  Finally, I created the sixth yer.

  A smile appeared on my face. Maintaining all six yers was incredibly straining, as I was under a lot of pressure, but I did it.

  Something that I thought would take a lot of time, I had managed to make significant progress in just a short period.

  Eighteen more steps, and I could begin learning the aura methods.

  But I needed sufficient control before diving into them. Bell had told me I'd need to form twenty-four yers before she would teach me, and I was determined to reach that point.

  It will be tough, but I'm determined to work toward it, especially after seeing what the aura methods could do. If I mastered them, I wouldn't feel so desperate against people wielding artifacts as I had been in my st battle.

  I didn't release the yers. Instead, I felt each one and every yer and began to make subtle adjustments, fine-tuning my control to ensure they remained solid.

  Forming the yers is one part of the exercise. Maintaining it is another.

  The small changes begin to help. They reduce the current strain, but it increases the longer I keep the yers active.

  I stopped gncing at the clock. Instead, I closed my eyes and focused on breathing to calm myself as I worked on the yers.

  I continued adjusting the yers until I could no longer maintain my focus. Seeing that, I didn't let go of the aura. Instead, I methodically dissolved one yer after another. It was challenging, but I endured it.

  Soon, all the yers had dissolved, and I y on the floor, drenched in sweat. I stayed there for half an hour, catching my breath, before finally getting up. Using Freshening Up, I walked out of my suite, feeling the weight of my efforts.

  Hours passed as I practiced, creating six yers every few hours. Before I knew it, the evening had arrived, and I found myself on the deck, watching the sunset. The view was breathtaking—the river flowing peacefully, the forest stretching out on the horizon. It felt beautiful, almost calming.

  "We will be home by tomorrow," Margaux said, and I could hear the longing in her voice. I shared the same feeling; I had missed home more than I realized and couldn't wait to return.

  But I knew there was a lot of work waiting for me.

  The casino's opening is in a few weeks, along with the bridge project and, most importantly, the undead. Those bastards didn't leave me alone, even after I left the city.

  'We wil…."

  I was speaking when I suddenly stopped midway, sensing something. It was faint, but I recognized the feeling. It was very intense in the legacy, but here, I could only barely feel it.

  "What happened?" Margaux asked, her voice ced with concern. I could feel my guards shifting, becoming alert.

  "There is a message from Madam Caena. A new legacy has been born," Ze informed me before I could respond.

  "It's close," I said as I closed my eyes and concentrated. I could feel its general location, and it was very close.

  "Ask Caena where it is," I stated. A few seconds ter, Ze replied, "Hyriv city. "

  "It's just an hour away," said Margaux, and I couldn't help but nod.

  It's on the bank of the river; the ship will reach it in less than an hour.

  Hyriv isn't a big city, which makes the legacy even rarer. Seventy percent of the legacies are born in cities with a popution greater than five million.

  Hyriv barely has a popution of two million. It made me wonder about the legacy.

  I ask them to gather the information.

  Half an hour passed, and I learned everything about the new legacy.

  "There is a message from the synod," informed Ze, surprising me.

  "What do they want?" I asked. "They want you to visit the legacy and congratute the master on behalf of the continental synod," she replied.

  An.

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