Contact (1)
I returned to Tianis and headed straight for the Student Council Hall. I'd gotten word that they were there.
The Student Council Hall was buzzing with students when I arrived. Word of the cause behind this incident must have spread.
"To think a black mage would stir up trouble in Tianis..."
"I saw the bodies of the kids who got sacrificed earlier. It was gruesome."
"It's so tragic... what can we even do?"
Conversations laced with worry and regret floated around. Some wept over lost friends, while others comforted the grieving. The overall mood was dismal—far worse than during the library incident, perhaps.
I felt pity for them too, of course. But the world wasn't kind enough to let everyone live happily, nor could anyone save them all. Not even the protagonist, Evan, could manage that.
I wove through the crowd and entered. They parted easily, either recognizing my disheveled state or having heard the rumors.
Inside, the hall wasn't as crowded as usual. Instead, it was filled with students who'd been victims of the incident, tended by professors and priests at their sides.
And there, in the distance, was my group. The three of them were talking with the professors—including Ratral Heytald.
"Ah, it's Kyle. Grandpa, Kyle can explain everything in detail."
Rana spotted me first and called out. I bowed toward him.
"It's been a while, sir."
"Indeed it has, lad."
Normally, he'd greet me with a smile, but the circumstances were grim. We exchanged brief pleasantries before diving in.
"I've heard the story. They say you provided great assistance in this incident."
"No, sir. The credit goes to Evan, who found the statue, and my brother."
"Of course that's praiseworthy too, but your quick thinking minimized the damage. If you'd gone to a professor first, there might have been more casualties."
"In that case, the real credit belongs to those who helped."
We'd wrapped up this episode so swiftly thanks to my senior's alchemy.
"Ruina Lindel, was it? I heard about her from Rana. We'll discuss her later—for now, tell me what happened on your end?"
It was natural he'd be curious, since I'd been alone.
I organized my thoughts and answered. Naturally, I skipped the demon part and reinforced the barrier on the subspace containing the demon and the black magic stone. I couldn't let them take it.
"It seems much the same as everywhere else, overall."
"Even if you investigate, there won't be much to find."
"I figured as much... Those vile bastards prepared thoroughly."
He ground his teeth in anger. The other professors nearby did the same. And with good reason—there were forty student corpses visible here alone. Even those had been left behind mid-ritual. The ones fully sacrificed hadn't left so much as a strand of hair.
"It must have been a shock, but holding on longer would be greedy. Head out for today. We'll talk more later."
Ratral dismissed us from the Student Council Hall, considerate of our efforts.
We left the building. As soon as we stepped out, Evan let out a deep sigh.
"Haa... How can people be so heartless?"
"Don't think of black mages as human. They've sold their souls for power."
Evan and my brother exchanged those words, their voices heavy and drained.
"Kyle... I feel like I'm gonna puke..."
Rana wasn't much better. The ugliness and cruelty she'd witnessed seemed to churn her stomach.
I silently patted her back. I could have offered them comfort and advice, but sometimes you had to overcome it alone. That's how the mind toughens—and how protagonists and key players grow inwardly.
That said, Rana was so shaken she ended up crashing at my dorm that night.
The next day, I slipped out, leaving Rana still deep in sleep.
I found a spot far from the dorms, set up a barrier, and activated it to the max—even tapping the ring's power to ensure neither Rana, nor any professor or student, would notice.
Mana flowed quietly, severing the space from the world. My magic realm wasn't high enough for perfect isolation, but nothing happening inside would leak out.
I pulled out the demon I'd brought yesterday from my subspace. The cube-shaped thing occasionally twitched, exuding demonic energy. Compressed as it was, it was still alive. Demons had immense vitality and regeneration, after all. Without the magic seal, it would've revived ages ago.
"Not that it matters now."
As long as it stayed like this, there was no need to worry. The demon would soon vanish from the world.
I placed the cube before me and formed a magic circle with both hands. A hemisphere formed over it, filled with formulas, shapes, and runes.
Next, mana traced lines from me, creating another circle. But that wasn't the end.
Ruina's alchemy. I incorporated a touch of it.
I'd done this countless times, so magic alone sufficed, but alchemy helped at key stages.
The fusion of magic and alchemy. A first for me—I felt the tension.
Still, I pushed through the tremors for a successful outcome.
Shoooo—!!
The moment I infused my will, mana swirled wildly inside the hemisphere. The foggy interior was barely visible from outside, dense with over 100% mana saturation.
No issues. This was standard procedure.
I directed mana while processing incoming data from the line linked to the cube.
Pzzzt—!
Alchemy first separated the demon's soul, body, and demonic energy within the cube.
Then magic intervened.
A demon's essence stemmed from desire and malice. It permeated every part, especially the soul. Absorbing a demon raw caused side effects. Sure, you could do it, but it'd take ages and you'd miss some power.
Desire and malice—what I called "malice"—extracted from the three elements. Then fused into one and expelled from the hemisphere.
"This stuff never sits right..."
A black orb that seemed to erase space itself. Pure malice—even I couldn't stare at it long. Anyone else would've gone mad or collapsed on the spot.
I swiftly ignited it, burning the malice away.
Kyaaaak—!
A tearing scream midway? Just an illusion.
I gazed at the demon's crystallized remnants in the hemisphere. The pure power of a demon, stripped of malice.
"Hoo..."
After catching my breath, I popped it straight into my mouth.
"Kugh!!"
Agony surged as it passed my throat. Blood sprayed from all seven orifices simultaneously.
This wasn't chimeric fusion—it was subjugating another's essence and weaving it into mine. Hence the pain.
But no real problem.
I had Kyle Arden's talent, my senior's alchemy, and above all, this was easier than marrow cleansing.
I infused will.
Pzzzt—!!!
The alchemy in the floor's circle enveloped my body. Skin rippled, pain doubling from the strain.
I focused my mind and manipulated the alchemy.
The crystal decomposed, shards scattering to every corner of my flesh.
With cohesion weakened, resistance faded.
Now!
I summoned soul force and mana. The ring supplied any shortfall.
Melt the crystal into my flesh. Not mere fusion—total domination, asserting superiority.
"Hoo, hoo..."
Resistance waned. Pain eased, breathing steadied.
Euphoria washed over me.
My dantian had roughly doubled in size, power overflowing my body.
I withdrew all mana, conjured magic with my left hand, and punched out then retracted with my right.
Simple moves, but gauging realms was easy.
"Expert Peak, and 6-circle mage..."
Magic up one step, martial arts two.
The latter was worth celebrating, but honestly? Not really. I'd been on the cusp of Expert Upper just yesterday.
Hardly meaningful gains.
"Tch, I thought Master was possible."
Demons rivaled dragons—I'd expected at least Master, if not marrow cleansing.
"Growing only the body has limits, huh."
Realms usually grew with enlightenment.
But I had no further mental stages to advance.
That gap caused this.
"At least the body is some consolation..."
Kyle Arden's talent got me this far. Without it, growth would've crawled.
Still, options existed. Three came to mind.
"Fight to the death, absorb a grand duke, or drink an elixir."
Satisfy one, and Master was mine.
But all impractical. I shook my head inwardly.
No worthy foes for the first. Second required sacrificing a nation to summon a grand duke.
Elixir?
"World Tree wouldn't give it even if it died."
Elixirs refined nature's essence and the World Tree's divinity. No chance.
"Time it is, then..."
Experiencing Akacheonma's episodes and steady training would grow me.
It'd just take ages.
"Not like fortunes fall easy anyway."
Not the protagonist—fortunes weren't for every mutt and mongrel.
I dismissed the magic. Job done, no need to linger.
As I moved to head back to the dorm...
[Kyle, can you hear me?]
The World Tree's contact after several months.