Ancient Magic, EX++ to GX
├─ Former Rank:EX++
└─ New Rank:GX — ASCENDED ★
He had expected it. That was precisely why the joy ran so deep — some part of him had still been afraid the rank might refuse to rise at all.
Even if it hadn't, feeding the gem into the skill was bound to sharpen its effects. That much went without saying. The gulf between rising and failing to rise, however, was enormous.
"Finally..."
Ancient Magic had become GX.
It would not do to treat the change as a skill merely climbing a single step. From GX onward, the difference was of another dimension entirely. Once his Swordsmanship trait had reached GX, Yujun had felt the effect in his bones, and he knew exactly how vast that gap was. Ancient Magic, above all, was an ability of tremendous versatility.
I can feel it, plain as day. That magic-reinforcement spell I threw together not long ago is nothing but flaws.
With Ancient Magic and Magic Understanding both risen in rank, he finally saw how crude the spells he had been making really were.
And Yenil was satisfied, looking at that.
Which meant he had already surpassed her level of magic by a wide margin.
Even on the magical side, I'm ahead of Yenil.
Until now he had lacked the confidence to admit it, and had gone on denying it. From the moment Ancient Magic became GX, though, he could no longer miss the truth: his skill with magic stood far above hers. It was, in fact, only natural. However much the knowledge had been poured into his head as theory rather than earned through his own hands, the rank of his Ancient Magic skill was simply far higher than Yenil's.
At this level, I shouldn't have to lose sleep over the Yenil problem anymore, should I?
He felt as if he could invent a spell on the spot. Of course, that was only how it felt. Actually creating magic then and there was close to impossible, unless some brilliant inspiration happened to strike. Even so, the shape of the spell he meant to make was no longer a faint blur. He could see it clearly.
I'll try making something genuinely difficult.
Difficult enough that Yenil would have no further excuse to pester him.
Once Atradeon and I settle the Demon God Worshippers, I'll come back and track down that mysterious Great Merchant too.
The player who went around collecting Synchronization Marbles. Frankly, the man seemed to covet what was his, and Yujun had no intention of leaving him alone. He meant to get those Synchronization Marbles out of that player by whatever means it took.
He couldn't say how much higher his synchronization rate might still climb, but he was fairly certain he remained a long way from the end. If he wanted to grow stronger quickly, he would need far more Synchronization Marbles. And if he was going to clash with the Demon God, the thought kept returning that he could not afford to grow complacent at his present pace.
It wasn't quite a sense of duty. Still, he had the uneasy certainty that if he failed to grow stronger, this place would simply be destroyed.
I'd almost rather this were nothing but an oversized ego.
Right then, as if on cue, Manuela arrived. Wrapped deep in a black cloak, she stood out even from a distance.
"What'd you buy?"
Her expression looked pleased, so he asked.
"Just materials. But four of the things I was looking for were there, so I bought every one of them!"
"You've got quite a bit of money, don't you?"
"But of course. If you only knew how many long ages my lady has labored—"
"Paranet."
"Yes. I shall hold my tongue."
Having silenced Paranet with a single word, Manuela broke into a bright smile.
"The materials aren't as expensive as you'd think. There just aren't many players who can actually do anything with them."
"And you can?"
"Yeah."
Well. This was Manuela, who had already created transcendent beasts formidable enough to look dangerous. Give her better materials, and there was no telling what kind of monster she might make next. In that sense, she seemed endlessly capable.
"Nothing else to prepare, right? Let's go."
"Okay."
Their destination wasn't far, and they arrived quickly.
Sky Castle floated in the sky in the most literal sense, and the sight of the heavenly race spreading their wings to climb toward it — or to descend from it — was striking. It felt like an ancient mural stirring into vivid life.
So many of the heavenly race are bound for Sky Castle.
He had lived through a war in Heaven and fought on the front lines, yet even so, a few of the angels within Sky Castle gave off an intensely threatening presence. Yujun alone could read their power. Manuela and Paranet sensed nothing at all.
Archangels, no doubt.
They were on an entirely different level from the fake golden goblin he had met during the event, the one wearing an archangel's shape.
Could there be a Demon God Worshipper among them?
His senses had not yet sent a warning. Either there were no Demon God Worshippers nearby, or a powerful one was concealing their strength exceptionally well. It would be one or the other.
First, find Atradeon.
Paranet might draw eyes, and he couldn't fly, so Yujun dismissed him first and cast a flight spell. Then he held out an access card to Manuela.
"This..."
"It'll let you into Sky Castle."
"Thanks."
"Let's hurry. Sky Castle doesn't seem all that safe."
True to the name of a castle, Sky Castle was immense and long. How high did it rise? The summit of the tower was nowhere in sight.
"It's really high."
"We won't be able to reach the upper levels, though."
Yujun nodded at her words.
"You mean you need a high rank."
"Yeah. Sky Castle is basically the heart of Heaven. You can assume every noble being in the Heavenly Realm gathers there. Ordinary angels, on the other hand, get treated like insects. Other races aren't much different."
Yujun's face tightened.
"So they've got some kind of chosen-people complex."
"You could say that."
"Worse than the demons?"
"Demons commit their evils out in the open. Angels, as a rule, are full of hypocrites."
"Hm... hard to say which is worse."
A hypocrite at least performed good deeds for the sake of their image. Even so, could they really be called more wicked than demons?
One thing is certain.
There was no such thing as a good Demon God Worshipper. They were nothing but bastards who deserved to die. He had thought there were hardly any among the heavenly race, only to learn that one or more existed among the high-ranking angels. Sertiphs, caught up in that affair, had died. They hadn't been close enough to call friends, but revenge was still something he ought to see through. The Demon God Worshippers were his eternal enemies, besides.
Manuela came up beside him.
"Where did they say Atradeon is?"
"At a tavern. With Yenil."
"What? He said he was going for information, and he went off to drink?"
"No. He probably went to get information. Or he might just be resting for a bit."
When Sertiphs died, Atradeon had looked deeply shaken. He wouldn't handle this matter carelessly.
"Let's go."
The tavern where Atradeon was staying was called The Angel Who Lost Wings. Yujun had no idea why a tavern would bear a name like that, but it sat in an out-of-the-way corner even of Sky Castle's second floor, and players didn't seem to pass through in any great number. For Atradeon, who couldn't afford to be noticed, there was hardly a better place to rest.
To hide his identity, Yujun drew a large cloak from his inventory. Manuela already kept herself well concealed, so she was no concern. That left Paranet. He could simply leave the summon uncalled, but he had no intention of doing so. Paranet had already become a formidable force in his hands; one look at the creature's stats had told him as much. This was someone he could trust with his back. He meant to keep him at his side at all times.
After summoning Paranet, he handed him a thick cloak as well. Defensive equipment resized itself to the wearer's height, and the cloak lengthened into a perfect fit.
"Master! I rather doubt that wearing this will conceal who I am!"
"You think you're the only big fellow in Heaven? You'll be fine. We only need to watch for anyone with unusually sharp senses."
The stronger Paranet grew, the thicker the aura peculiar to the undead became. In exchange, his ability to hide it had advanced as well. Once he concealed himself, most would find it difficult to tell he was undead at all.
"Understood!"
They were on their way to the tavern where Atradeon waited. It was a secluded alley, and they had been walking at their ease when they noticed a party of four angels glaring at them.
That was when it happened.
"Hey. You inferior lot."
They had meant to pass in silence, but one of the angels abruptly picked a fight.
"You talking to me?"
"Yeah. You."
"You need something?"
"I do. An undead dared to set foot in this sacred place. That's crossing the line. So I myself shall personally mete out the punishment."
He seemed to have seen through Paranet at a glance. Yujun's brow creased.
"Are you talking to me?"
"You deaf? Or are you a goldfish? Why say the same thing twice?"
"Is that something you're saying to me, right now?"
"...What is wrong with you. Creepy bastard. You're not even a golem."
The angel looked utterly baffled, but Yujun only pressed further. He genuinely hadn't expected some nobody angel to pick a fight like this.
So the moment I hide who I am under a cloak, this is what happens?
He was reminded, all over again, of how many advantages he had been reaping from his fame — or his infamy. It was absurd, but dealing with them himself looked quieter than revealing who he was, so he drew his mana up.
"Oh? Trying to come at us? Grown yourself some nerve?"
Four angels. Every one of them clung to the same arrogant attitude, and it wasn't a bluff they were straining to perform. They were simply the sort who had been steeped in empty swagger from the start. The reason was obvious. They had something to lean on. Was it strength? Or else...
I can just see for myself.
In that instant, Yujun's figure vanished.
Thwack! Crack!
A crisp series of impacts rang out, and all four angels collapsed at once. Manuela looked them over with open pity before she spoke.
"...Didn't you go a little too easy?"
"No need to kill them."
He had struck with exactly enough force to knock them out. He hadn't even drawn his sword, yet if he failed to control his strength, his bare hands alone could kill outright. He always had to be careful, and this time he had regulated his power perfectly.
"...Ugh."
"Hm? Did I hit them too lightly?"
Their endurance seemed more impressive than he had expected. They could hardly have been unconscious for long before two of the angels stirred awake.
"Y-you! Do you even know who we—"
"Don't you know Sky Castle will be in an uproar if you lay a hand on us?"
"No idea. Who are you?"
"Our dad is the Castle Lord."
"My older brother belongs to the Celestial Knight Order!"
They spoke as if Yujun had just landed himself in serious trouble. He tilted his head.
"Castle Lord? The Celestial Knight Order?"
He could guess what Castle Lord meant from the title alone. The Celestial Knight Order was new to him — but that was only because Yujun knew little of Heaven. Manuela knew the order well.
"The most famous knight order in Heaven. A small elite. It's said that when they gather in one place, nothing is impossible."
"They're as famous as the Castle Lord?"
"Some even say the Celestial Knight Order's influence stands above the Castle Lord's."
"That high? Wow. That's no joke."
The short note of admiration only emboldened the angels further.
"You touched something you never should have touched."
"And who was it that started the fight?"
"A lowborn like you will soon pay the price for failing to recognize his betters."
He had knocked them unconscious, and their attitude hadn't changed in the slightest. Yujun let out a long sigh.
"You all need to get hit a little more."