Chapter 136
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 136
“……What did you say?”
My brow furrowed as I asked her to repeat herself. Ciel replied with a completely deadpan expression.
“It is exactly as I said. My opponent for the next ranking match has been decided. It is you, Lord Roen.”
Ranking matches could be initiated through formal challenges, but they were primarily determined by random matchmaking between students of similar standing. Once a week, you were paired with someone close to your current rank.
My current rank was 112th. Ciel’s was exactly 100th.
I knew the odds of us being matched would rise as I climbed closer to her rank, but I hadn't expected it to happen so soon.
“Wh-what? You two were matched for a ranking match?”
At Philip’s stunned question, I let out a small sigh.
“It seems so. Ciel wouldn't lie about something like this.”
“Then isn’t this a good thing? If Lady Ciel goes easy on you, you can secure an easy win…”
Philip’s voice trailed off as he caught sight of Ciel’s hardening expression. I gave a wry smile and offered him a bit of advice.
“Watch your words, Philip. To Ciel, combat is a matter of pride. She already told me she wouldn’t go easy on me in the slightest. I don’t know whether to call that loyalty or sheer inflexibility.”
Josephine, who had been listening quietly, chimed in to defend Ciel.
“In a way, you could see her as a truly devoted aide. Rather than coddling her master for the sake of convenience, she upholds her own martial path to encourage her master’s growth.”
“Well, I do respect Ciel’s intentions, but…”
She really needed to learn how to read the room. Wouldn't it be easier for both of us to just take the path of least resistance? We could have gotten the ranking match over with smoothly and then trained together privately later.
“In any case, the match between Lord Roen and myself is scheduled for one week from today. I will not be visiting the Student Council office until then. Please be aware of this.”
Ciel bowed her head and turned to leave.
She’s dead serious.
I let out a deep sigh as I watched her retreating back.
*
I returned to the Student Council office with a heavy heart.
I had anticipated this to some degree, but I never truly thought a duel with Ciel would actually come to pass. I sat at my desk, tapping my fingers against the wood with a grim expression.
Ciel is different from the riffraff I’ve faced so far.
Her current rank was 100th, but if she fought at full strength, she was skilled enough to easily break into the top 10. That meant subduing her would require power on par with the named characters of Myrillin Saga.
Moreover, unlike my fight with Meyer, it would be nearly impossible to cheese a win against Ciel. She was a paragon of pure, exceptional martial skill. She also possessed monstrous physical strength, capable of ripping steel doors off their hinges with her bare hands and shattering concrete floors with her fists. Her pure physical stamina was comparable to Freya’s, the strongest student in our year.
I clicked my tongue as I reviewed Ciel’s physical specs in my head.
It might actually be easier to face Beatrice and her barrage of destructive beams than to fight Ciel.
The power of Beatrice’s magic was formidable, but there were ways to counter it. Ciel, on the other hand, had no discernible weaknesses. It was a strange analogy, but facing Ciel was like fighting a tank with your bare hands, whereas facing Beatrice was like dealing with someone who had their finger on a nuclear launch button.
In terms of pure destructive power, Beatrice was overwhelming, but she faced many restrictions and couldn’t use her full strength in ranking matches due to the danger. Ciel, however, possessed a perfect balance of abilities, and her style was ideally suited for the one-on-one rules of the arena.
“Hoo.”
I let out a deep breath and looked at the match schedule.
Truthfully, if I really didn’t want to fight Ciel, I could just forfeit. Even if my score dropped slightly, I could just wait for another random opponent, beat them, and climb back up. There was no objective need to force a confrontation with her.
However.
If she was a wall I had to overcome eventually, there was no reason to back down now. I just had to think of it as meeting her a little sooner than expected. Besides, if I managed to defeat Ciel, I would finally break into the double-digit ranks.
I clenched my fist.
And I need to save some face as her master.
I couldn’t hide behind Ciel’s skirts forever. And as someone who was always on the receiving end of her sharp tongue, I felt a sudden, burning need to take her down a peg. Lately, it was getting hard to tell who the master even was.
Though, I suppose I could take her biting remarks as a sign of affection. Considering how stoic Ciel usually was, it was almost a relief that she was expressing her emotions at all.
…In a way, the timing is perfect.
For the past few weeks since clearing the Aether Dungeon, I had been completely absorbed in crafting the Azoth Sword. I had one week until the match. I could use this time to complete the sword and test its true power.
A formidable opponent like Ciel was the perfect subject to test my new artifact against.
Having made up my mind, I stood up and headed for my lab.
*
In the center of the lab sat a large mercury tank. Submerged within the liquid was a sword emitting a soft, golden glow.
Donning my protective gear, I silently gazed at the blade.
The crafting of the Azoth Sword is almost in its final stages.
All that remained was to mount the Elemental Stones into the slots of the blade, which had finished its stabilization process in the mercury. The slots referred to the five letters carved into the metal: A, Z, O, T, H.
The word Azoth has its own etymology in Arabic and is surrounded by various occult theories, but it generally refers to the legendary universal catalyst in the world of alchemy. It was also the script inscribed on the sword used by the renowned alchemist, Paracelsus. It seemed Myrillin Saga had reflected that lore, designating the Azoth Sword as the signature weapon for alchemists.
The Azoth Sword I was currently crafting was made by melting down the Dwarven Gold Ingots I had brought back from the Aether Dungeon. However, since pure gold would be too soft for combat, I had mixed in various other rare metals. The process had been anything but smooth, but I had succeeded with the help of a master blacksmith introduced to me by the triplet dwarves.
As a bonus, my [Ore Smelting] level had increased during the process, granting me a nice boost to my health stats.
Beep— beep— beep—
The alarm rang, signaling that the time was up. I turned off the alarm, pulled on my protective gloves, and opened the mercury tank.
Although not immediately lethal in its liquid state, mercury is fundamentally toxic. If left alone, it can vaporize, and inhaling those fumes is incredibly dangerous. After taking every precaution, I reached in and picked up the golden sword shining amidst the silvery liquid.
Sshhhk—
As the mercury flowed down its surface like silk, the Azoth Sword revealed its brilliant form. Pure gold dissolves in mercury—a property often used for gilding—but this Azoth Sword, having undergone extensive magical processing, was perfectly intact.
…It would have been a disaster if it melted.
This sword had cost me a fortune.
I sprinkled sulfur powder on the blade to neutralize any remaining toxicity, then washed it thoroughly in a mana-infused basin. After the cleaning process, the Azoth Sword was completely dry and gleaming.
I took a moment to admire the weapon’s beauty. It was slightly smaller than my forearm—a typical double-edged dagger with a sturdy crossguard. The blade, processed with metal magic, shone with a deep, radiant golden light, as if the sun itself had been forged into the metal.
Carved into the blade were the five letters I had engraved myself: A, Z, O, T, H. The hilt was also crafted from gold, exquisitely engraved with antique patterns and symbols. The grip felt firm yet comfortable in my hand, proving it was as practical as it was beautiful.
Now, all that was left was to infuse the power of the Elemental Stones into the letters.
“…”
I glanced at the meter, confirmed the air in the lab was safe, and finally removed my mask.
“Hoo.”
I placed the Azoth Sword on the alchemy workbench and set the pre-processed Elemental Stones into their respective positions. As I finished the preparations, a system notification appeared before my eyes.
Ting!
I nodded with a thin smile.
“Yes.”
I immediately followed the system’s guidance and began the [Enchantment] process.
[Enchantment] was a new skill I had acquired when my trait leveled up to Intermediate Alchemy. Previously, I could only perform basic tasks like [Amplify], [Restrict], [Enhance], and [Repair]. But once I became capable of crafting artifacts myself, I naturally unlocked [Enchantment].
Enchantment is a form of alchemy that grants an entirely new property or effect to an object. Unlike amplification, it isn't bound by existing effects, and unlike restriction, it has no demerits, offering a high degree of creative freedom.
The enchantment I’ll be granting the Azoth Sword this time is the properties of the five elements.
I placed my hand over the blade and spoke the command.
“Structure Analysis.”
Fwoosh—
The internal structure of the Azoth Sword was vividly drawn in my mind. This was the result of performing an analysis at the [Intermediate Alchemy] level; unlike before, when only a basic system blueprint would appear, I could now "see" the internal workings with meticulous detail.
Along with the sword’s structure, the design of the [Enchantment] magic circle I had engraved into it during its creation also came to mind. Looking at the internal diagram of the sword, I murmured:
“Required Materials.”
Float—
As I spoke, the five Elemental Stones on the workbench rose into the air and settled perfectly into their corresponding letters on the blade. Confirming they were in place, I continued.
“Enchantment.”
FWOOSH—!
With a brilliant flash of light, my mana was suddenly drained as a complex magic circle materialized above the workbench. Simultaneously, the five Elemental Stones were absorbed into the letters as if melting into the gold.
Ssshk—
The power spread across the blade, following the lines of the engravings. The energy of the stones coated each letter in one of five distinct colors.
FWOOSH—!
Then, the blade erupted in a brilliant, five-colored light, illuminating every corner of the lab. As I shielded my eyes, a system window appeared.
A name.
Woooong—
I fell into thought as I looked at the golden sword glowing with magnificent light. Although it couldn't perform biblical miracles like turning lead into gold or breathing life into the inanimate like the legendary Azoth Sword, it was clearly a masterpiece.
After a moment of reflection, I decided on a name.
“I’ll call it Aether.”
The dungeon where I obtained the stones was named Aether. Furthermore, while it differed from the elemental system of Myrillin Saga, "aether" also represented the concept of a non-existent fifth element. It was a fitting name for a weapon of infinite possibilities.
The moment I named the sword, a cascade of golden notification windows appeared.
Ting!
---
### [Aether: Ouroboros]
- Classification: One-handed Sword
- Grade: Legendary
- Description: An Azoth Sword crafted by the alchemist Roen Devalis. An object that holds the power of the five elements, specialized in [Enchantment].
- Effects:
- [Enchantment Magic] casting speed increases by 100%.
- [Enchantment Magic] power increases by 100%.
- [Enchantment Magic] mana consumption decreases by 50%.
- All [Enchantment Magic] is imbued with the power of the ‘Elements’. The effect varies depending on the origin attribute you possess.
- Unique Effect: [The Beginning and the End]
- When the unique effect is activated, the power of alchemy magic increases every second (up to 100%). Consumes mana during activation.
- Durability: 100/100
---
“…”
I stared blankly at the golden window. My gaze was fixed on the item’s grade.
Legendary.
For an artifact crafted at only the Intermediate Alchemy stage to be granted a [Legendary] grade was unheard of, even after clearing Myrillin Saga a hundred times. Moreover, it was extremely rare for an item to receive an additional title during the naming stage.
I gazed at the brightly shining Aether before finally taking it in my hand.
Grip—
The sword fit perfectly, as if it were an extension of my own body. There was much to analyze, but with items like this, the best way to understand them was through use.
“Hoo.”
I took a deep breath and touched the tip of the sword to a nearby steel ingot. I would try to enchant the ingot into a sharp point and use it for an attack. I had never used enchantment magic before, but with Aether, it should be possible.
I want a sharp, reinforced steel spear that can be launched forward.
As my intent and mana flowed through the sword and into the ingot…
Crackle—!
A spark of mana flashed at the tip of the sword, and the square steel ingot began to warp. In an instant, the metal swelled into the shape of a massive cone, its tip honed to a razor’s edge.
BOOM—!
The "enchanted" steel spear instantly pierced through the lab wall.
CRASH—!
After shattering the lab wall, the spear continued to extend, tearing through the outer wall of the Union’s main building. Bricks along its path crumbled like straw, raining down to the ground below.
Startled by the overwhelming destructive power, I hastily pulled Aether away from the metal.
Fizzle—
Even though the mana supply was cut off, the steel spear remained lodged in the building, its enchanted form perfectly intact.
“…”
I was momentarily dumbfounded by the carnage I had caused, but soon, the corners of my mouth lifted into a wide smile.