Chapter 11
Chapter 11
Ink-Colored Star
How much time had passed?
So long that my senses had dulled.
Following the guidance of Roshka’s manual, I shattered my existing circles and built up something entirely different—“a star.”
Thump….
At the moment the final beat settled into place, a faint tremor ran through my entire body.
Holding my breath, I carefully observed my inner state.
[Ink Star (0-Star)]
A dark, ink-colored star scattered a faint yet brilliant light.
I clenched my fist tightly.
I did it!
[All mana is lost as the circles are destroyed.]
[Hidden skill acquired. Mana +5]
[Strength +2]
[Stamina +2]
[Agility +2]
[Mana +10]
As I checked each message that appeared before my eyes, I slowly let out a long breath.
All my stats had risen evenly.
《Matthios Vinna Morietti》
Age·Gender: 16 – Male
Height·Weight: 159.4 cm – 46.1 kg
Traits
[Ink Star 0-Star] [Morietti Collateral Line] [Excellent Marksmanship]
I stared blankly at the status window for a moment, then my gaze stopped at the height line.
“My height increased too?”
I jumped to my feet and paced around the room. I leaned against the wall for no reason, lifted my heels, then dropped them again.
One centimeter. I could barely feel the difference.
But it definitely increased.
I grew!
“160 is right around the corner…!”
How much had my sister treated me like a kid all this time?
No one understands the misery of being short unless they’ve lived it.
“Yeah, yeah… from now on, I’m going to hit a growth spurt.”
Seventeen. The prime age for growth.
“Heh….”
I got a hidden skill, and I grew taller.
The corners of my lips rose on their own.
The biggest hurdle was over. I could finally relax a little—
The moment that thought crossed my mind, an uneasy feeling flickered in my head.
“…Huh?”
I looked more closely at the skill.
[Ink Star 0-Star]
“0-Star?”
Not even 1-Star, but 0?
What kind of half-baked stage is this?
I observed my inner self again.
The ink-colored star was floating there.
No… could I even call that a star?
Looking closer, it was so small it was embarrassing to call it a star.
It trembled faintly, flickering as if breathing—like a newborn baby.
Flinch!
Our gazes met.
As if it noticed me observing it, the baby star flinched in surprise and started scrambling away. Of course, there was nowhere for it to go.
I stared blankly for a moment before pressing my forehead.
“…This never happened in the game.”
In the game, reaching 1-Star was easy.
But this?
0-Star?
0-Star?!
I immediately gathered mana.
Tremble…!
The fleeing baby star shivered and released mana.
A pitiful amount gathered in my hand.
“Damn it… is this even right?”
Even if quality mattered more than quantity, this was too much.
A hollow laugh escaped me.
I picked up Roshka’s epic again. There might be something written for situations like this.
[The Ink Star does not belong to the conventional circle system. Nor is it a mana core like those used by knights. It runs around wildly like a child. Raise it well, as you would your own child. Honestly, it’s quite cute. That’s why I never had one.]
“…What are you even saying, Hero?”
This was nothing like the hero I had imagined.
Still, I kept reading.
[You may think I am speaking nonsense. However, this is extremely important. If you raise that child well, it will become your most trustworthy and powerful ally. If not, it will become a weak and unruly failure.]
So in the end—
“I just have to raise it properly, huh?”
This level of detail never appeared in the game.
Being told to raise the Ink Star like a baby felt suspicious, but the creator of the technique said so. I had no choice.
[The mana contained within the Ink Star is powerful. If your body is weak, using mana will place a great burden on it. If your body is not as strong as steel, limit your mana usage.]
[Seventy percent. Use only up to seventy percent of your total mana. Under no circumstances exceed this limit. If you do, your skin will melt first, followed by muscles and bones, and finally your organs and heart.]
A terrifying restriction.
Using more than 70% of my mana would melt my body. In other words, death.
“But the benefits are worth it.”
The reason Ink Star was considered a top-tier mana method was simple.
Its utility and attack power were overwhelmingly strong.
Among all builds, Ink Star had the highest ceiling.
The downside was the small mana pool, but compared to its strengths, that was trivial.
“And it’s the build I’ve played the most.”
I knew multiple growth routes centered around Ink Star. It was the one I was most confident in.
“Though I didn’t expect 0-Star.”
It was a variable, but something I could solve step by step.
“I’ll have to go to the Thorn Forest.”
Roshka had a friend.
The one who helped preserve this epic.
And that friend was in the Thorn Forest.
“If it’s Roshka’s friend, they’ll help me grow.”
“I’ll be going there through class anyway… tomorrow’s the first lecture.”
I had sworn not to get involved in the story.
To live quietly as just another background character without affecting the original flow.
But reality always mocked plans.
Life never followed a script, and initial plans rarely lasted to the end.
When circumstances changed, people had to change too.
I slowly exhaled and sat on the edge of the bed.
Staring at the floor for no reason, I rubbed my forehead with the back of my hand.
“It can’t be helped.”
Since I had already stepped into the academy, there was no reason to force myself to endure everything with a frown.
I decided to change my mindset. Positively. At least on the surface.
“I’ll just do my best from where I stand.”
It wasn’t anything grand.
Just four years. If I could get through that time safely—
Graduate without causing trouble, without standing out. That would be enough.
“After graduation….”
My thoughts stopped there.
I had never imagined the future.
Just dealing with each day was already exhausting enough.
If I had to picture it—
“I’ll just live comfortably, eating and playing.”
My sister would inherit the family.
And I’d live a relaxed noble life off the leftover wealth.
A life with no responsibilities.
“She’ll be fine without me anyway…”
The moment that thought formed, something struck my mind sharply.
A memory I had deliberately avoided surfaced.
Or rather, a truth I had tried not to recall.
In the original story, my sister committed terrible atrocities.
Truly horrific ones.
She trampled countless people for her own gain, and eventually her crimes were exposed.
She was put on trial.
Sentenced to execution.
Her neck placed on the guillotine.
The blade fell.
And—
“…..”
My body froze stiff.
The image was vivid before my eyes—Ophelienne’s head being severed.
There was no doubt.
She was a villain.
And her end was death.
Her crimes deserved it.
My breath caught.
It felt like someone was gripping my throat tightly.
Why am I reacting like this?
Why do I feel this way?
My chest felt tight. No matter how much I inhaled, it felt like no air was entering.
“She’s a villain. She should die.”
That was correct. That was how it should be.
My mind clearly said so.
I clenched my sleeve tightly, veins bulging on the back of my hand.
But—
“…She hasn’t committed any crimes yet.”
Not yet.
She hasn’t done anything.
The current Ophelienne hasn’t reached that point.
“…Damn it. Whatever.”
The moment that thought surfaced, I couldn’t continue.
Muttering in resignation, I threw myself onto the bed.
The blanket thudded softly.
I didn’t want to think about that future right now.
My head was overheating. Too many thoughts.
“Tomorrow’s first class is swordsmanship….”
This is going to be exhausting.
I should just sleep and recover—
Bzzz!
Still lying face down, my wrist suddenly vibrated.
It was the latest model watch distributed at the academy entrance ceremony. A masterpiece of magitech.
“Who’s messaging this early in the morning…?”
Muttering a curse at the rude sender, I turned on the watch.
Tiana: First swordsmanship class today~ I’m excited! Did you wake up? (6:20)
It was Tiana.
We had exchanged contact information during Vice Principal Rudolf’s long-winded speech.
But why at this hour?
And what did she mean, “Did you wake up?”
It was still early morning.
…Morning?
“…Huh?”
6:20?
Something felt off.
I shot upright.
Tiana: We’ll head there first (7:31)
Tiana: Matthios, where are you? Are you up? (8:00)
Tiana: We’re in the classroom, hurry! (8:30)
Tiana: Matthios! Are you not awake!?
Tiana: Matthios? Matthios!!
After that, countless messages piled up. It was practically screaming through the watch.
I pulled back the curtain.
Chirp chirp!
Bright sunlight and the cheerful chirping of sparrows filled the room.
Then I checked the time.
10:34.
An entire day had passed.
“…Ah.”
I was late for my very first class.