Chapter 176
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 176
Chapter Title: Preparations to Depart
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A considerable amount of time had passed since Jinovan had recovered his strength.
Yet not everything had been fully resolved.
A meeting was underway to decide whether to continue the inspection tour.
The incident had been handled well enough, but both princes had come perilously close to death, after all.
It seemed the Imperial Family was debating whether to return to the capital immediately or press on with the tour to its conclusion.
'Well, that's a decision for the higher-ups.'
Jun would have preferred to wrap up the mission quickly and secure permission to access the Imperial archives, but there was no real hurry.
'The Imperial archives are on the surface anyway. I won't get a look until the season ends.'
For that reason, Jun and his companions decided to spend their downtime as they pleased.
"Last time, assisting with your magic felt so frustratingly slow."
"Yeah?"
Eleanor, who usually whined a lot while learning magic, was surprisingly advocating for more study on her own.
"Can you lend me those books on the enchantment theory you mentioned?"
"No reason not to."
Jun, pleased by her initiative, piled up relevant tomes like a mountain.
Eleanor's expression soured, but she took the books without complaint and retreated to her room.
"S-Senior!"
That very night, after Eleanor left, Aiden came bursting in with an unusually excited look.
"What's up?"
"Th-the Heavenly Dragon Knights want to spar with me!"
"Huh. Really?"
It was a rare occurrence.
The Heavenly Dragon Knights were renowned as elites among elites.
Every member had graduated top of their class from the Imperial Academy, then spent years as probationary knights, risking life and limb in brutal battles to earn their place.
For such knights to take an interest in a mere level 5 mercenary like Aiden—it was the stuff of bards' tales.
'Aiden's unexpectedly catching the knights' eyes in all sorts of ways.'
Even the Blackguard Knight Order's Captain, Terdin, had been somewhat lenient with him.
After the operation ended, Aiden had meshed surprisingly well with the Blackguards.
'His swordsmanship must look clean even to their trained eyes.'
And Aiden's original technique, [Windstorm Fury], packed tremendous destructive power—enough to intrigue even knights of their caliber.
"Good for you. Since it's come to this, steal their techniques properly."
"St-steal them?"
"The best skills are always swiped with a keen eye."
It was advice Jun could relate to on a visceral level, having come this far without a proper master.
What could you do? True mentors were rare in this world.
"You'll learn plenty. We've got time on our hands anyway, so why not stick with them?"
"Ah...! Thank you!"
Aiden left with joyful steps—a sight to behold.
'What if I'd gotten a chance like that...'
Jun brushed off the pointless what-if just as another voice cut in.
"I figured it was about your turn to show up."
"...? Leader, you a fortune teller or somethin'?"
"Nah, idiot. So why're you here?"
"'Member that thing I asked at the Ancient Tower?"
"The World Tree's essence?"
"Yessir."
Maya had shown interest in the principles behind the World Tree's essence during their long climb up the Ancient Tower.
Jun had explained it clearly, and she'd spent time digesting it.
"What about it?"
"Tried it on the elders like you taught me."
The World Tree's essence allowed communion with spirits through the user's will.
After the tower, Maya had consulted Jun whenever she had time, attempting to converse with her ancestors' spirits using the method.
"Any success?"
"Yessir. But... not as much as I hoped."
"Where's it bottlenecking?"
"Connection drops too quick. Barely exchange a few words before it cuts out. Then I'm drained of mana and exhausted."
"Hm. Classic mana shortage."
In truth, Jun had half-expected this.
"Am I just short on mana?"
"Partly. And your control needs work too."
"..."
Jun gave a wry smile at Maya's crestfallen look.
Unlike Aiden, she still couldn't infuse her sword with aura.
Her physical techniques outshone his, but in raw destructive power—excluding [Spirit Frenzy]—she lagged behind.
"It's not a lack of talent."
"It ain't?"
"Half wrong."
"Whaddya mean?"
"To explain... you're not inferior to Aiden in handling mana. But the results show otherwise."
"...? How's that?"
"If your mana control was truly lacking compared to him, you couldn't have even attempted talking to your ancestors."
Yet Maya had succeeded alone, based on Jun's advice.
Mana wasn't chopsticks—teach it, and everyone masters it.
Maya had innate talent for mana and the effort to back it.
"The issue is where your mana gathers."
Jun tapped his temple, making Maya frown deeper.
"Gathering mana in your head's the problem?"
"Yeah. Heart or gut act as conduits for blood or core energy."
"Right."
"Brain doesn't. So gathering and expelling it externally is tough."
On the flip side, it sharpened sensitivity to external mana—and even spirits.
A major advantage, really.
"Hm... Any way to gather it faster?"
"Yep."
"How?"
Jun grinned at her sparkling eyes.
"Training."
"Training?"
"Yeah. Brain muscles, y'know?"
"Brains got muscles?"
No. Brains were just clustered neurons, no muscle.
But.
"The more you use 'em, the stronger they get."
"So..."
"Use mana. Constantly, relentlessly."
"Till I collapse?"
"Best way. Or at least make it a habit."
Walking, focusing vision, maintaining a detection field—whatever.
"Every day... normally...?"
"Yep."
Jun said it casually, but he knew it was insane.
Like micromanaging every leg muscle while walking.
Mental drain alone would be brutal, plus physical fatigue from mana use.
Pure hellish training.
"But it's the surest method."
Even in-game, NPCs like Maya used it to build cranial mana reserves.
'Kids' mentality dips a bit after prolonged use, but...'
The gains were stellar.
With the World Tree's essence, mentality wouldn't fail first.
"Do it enough, and your control sharpens, capacity grows."
"Hoo... Got it. Thanks."
With Maya gone too,
Jun closed his eyes alone in the room.
"Now my turn."
6th Circle.
Time to prepare breaking that wall.
* * *
In truth, Jun had long pondered how to shatter the 6th Circle barrier.
It hit him one day while observing Shylock and Mershar's work, drawing daily inspiration.
'This could work.'
A hunch, nothing more.
That fleeting instinct.
But Jun instinctively suppressed it.
'Too soon.'
Too many insights to consolidate before jumping from 5th to 6th.
Rushing it would leave them unintegrated, hobbling him later.
His gut screamed it, so he reined in his greed and stayed at 5th.
"That was months ago already..."
Now, those insights were finally meshing with his knowledge base.
Time to cross the 6th threshold.
'Problem is, you can't force it just 'cause you want to.'
Jun couldn't pinpoint circle growth mechanics, but it needed a major trigger.
Sometimes personal epiphany.
Or confronting an unprecedented phenomenon.
Or extreme mentality in a life-or-death crisis—common enough.
But engineering such crises artificially? Dubious results.
Normally, enlightenment came naturally, but Jun had blocked it once.
Same epiphany now? Diminished effect.
'Didn't expect it to backfire this bad.'
Couldn't just wait idly, though.
"Might as well refine those spells while I'm at it."
He'd dabbled, but focused more on integrating enchantments.
Now, time to dive deep into new spell theories.
...And just like that, a month slipped by.
"Half the season gone already."
Meanwhile, the new marshal replacing Jinovan arrived at the castle looking half-dead.
He might resent Jinovan, but what could he do?
Politics had shoved him here.
At least he had a shot at climbing back—fix the mess, earn merit.
Jinovan handed over clean intel during the handover, then left for Black Forest Fortress at Cloi's summons.
The poison-spore mine hadn't normalized yet.
Probably closed till next season.
Miners got new jobs or aid via Dexter and Javier's connections.
Not thrilled, but better than nothing.
"Finally heading to the 4th stratum."
Dexter's mood brightened, having somewhat assuaged Imperial concerns about escorting the princes back.
"Those old fogeys. What's got 'em so worried?"
"Heh heh. It's a serious affair."
Tobias chuckled beside him.
"Speaking of, where's Sword Ghost?"
"Should be back soon."
"A man who loves the front lines like that—such a shame he retired early."
"Agreed."
Aden, who should have slain the poison master at the mine,
Returned shortly after things calmed.
Whatever happened, his body bore combat scars.
Luckily minor; recovered overnight.
But then he chased a lead on his abductor and vanished again.
With tour resumption news out, he was due back.
True enough, next day he emerged pristine.
And so, the day to head to the 4th stratum arrived.