The amount of aura Conall released wasn’t something so easily received. Both of them swung at the same time, deflecting each other’s attacks.

With a few steps back, Kreon quickly gathered up energy in his crystal sword, releasing it all in a single swing. The boy continued watching the slash of chaotic movement going after him, only to raise his fang and kill it off with a strike full of aura.

In a matter of a moment, the crystal reflection released two more slashes, but it was all for naught, Conall quickly smashing them apart with his sword.

Now, it was him, who proceeded to take the next move. Pulverizing the crystals beneath him, some of the rocky ground also cracked. Already in front of the king, he attacked while using up his aura incomparably to before.

If before he threw sand grains at him, now, it was pebbles.

Kreon received the attack before exchanging his own. The duo attacked without stopping, even if their bodies broke down in the process of Hateful Determination. Every time Conall took on a strike with his body, so did the king. Blood was exchanged for a cracked crystal body, though none of them noticed any of the wounds, absorbed in the fight.

A bloodied Conall swung upwards, destroying one of the crystal ears in the aftermath of his swing. The king tried to evade at the very last second, but it still reached. Twisting his crystallic body, a sword barely grazed through the already scratched and bloody sides.

They started heating up from the intense fight. Especially Kreon. Some of his lost battle senses started to be reignited through Conall, for which he had to thank him profusely.

Truly, without the boy, he wouldn’t have such a pleased expression, despite his crumbled up body.

As much his enemy persisted and resisted, it was enough. With a calm, satisfied look, Kreon moved his sword gently and slowly, yet an energy trail was left from the blade’s tip.

Looking at the rushing, red-haired knight, Kreon’s pupils dilated, his concentration higher than ever.

‘How long has it been? To finally enter Aer, after thousands of years? I had no idea it was still possible with my deteriorated abilities.’

Once again, his eyes looked at the focused, poised look of Conall.

Bearing the same body as this child, fighting against him, Kreon was able to enter the fabled realm, for which he could do nothing but give him thanks.

‘I won’t take over your memories, child. Let this be my reward for all of this.’

In the stopped time and space, the man moved as the only one. His sword, gripped by the dungeon’s energy, moved gently along with the slow body of his.

In this realm, he was the one above all. He was the king.

As his weapon reached Conall’s waist, starting to cleave him in half and already near the spine, Kreon’s eyes widened as his body froze from all movement.

Still, being integrated with the dungeon, he knew everything that happened. Seeing the yellow, glowing eyes stare at him plainly, fear succumbed to his body, throughout every cell and part of him.

Only one thought filled his mind before he felt the enemy’s sword stab through his crystalized heart.

‘You… little monster.’

Strength left every part of his body as black, bluish blood spurted out from his mouth, time going back to normal.

Like a cobweb, cracks spread around his whole body, a blue light coming out from them. Just before he crumbled, one last sentence left the king.

“I had somewhat cursed her over the years, but I’m sure you will manage.”

Losing the grasp of the crystal sword, Kreon left it inside Conall’s left waist while he started to fall apart into hundreds of thousands of crystal shards.

At the same time, a dark energy filled the trembling cave, an ominous spirit leaving the reflection’s body. Barely connected to the shards, the dark, horrific face tried to scream, but the forces pulling on it were too much for it to handle, quickly dispersing into thin air.

As the curse died, the glow of the crystals also dimmed, especially the pile left behind after Kreon’s death. The dungeon core was gone, crumbled to dust with its unity departing. At least, it should have been pulverized, but Conall couldn’t see any of it.

In the pile, however, there was a large, deep blue glass shard that reflected everything inside of it.

Pulling out the sword from his waist and immediately storing it, he walked up towards the pile, grabbing the divine mirror, the lost heirloom of Etra, as well as the sole reason for their neutrality.

He took away the large, sharp piece of the mirror, immediately cutting himself from just how sharp it was. However, before he could do anything with it, a window of text appeared in front of his eyes and something extremely heavy fell to his empty hand, starting to immediately burn him.

The air took on a slightly golden hue around him, but definitely not to the point of clearing his own curse.

[You have made an incredible contribution to the world. For your actions of dealing with an ancient curse that plagued the world, you have received a dungeon core.]

[This dungeon will collapse after you leave it.]

His eyes widened doubtfully and looking at the hot, glowing white core in his left hand, he couldn’t believe it. Normally, having lost connections to the dungeon, a core would simply explode, killing everything in a huge radius since the amount of energy stored inside was astronomical.

Yet, here he was, holding it as though it was nothing. With a smirk on his face, Conall swiftly stored it inside his ring, only to turn to the divine mirror, the real reason he wanted to come here.

From his very birth, there were limits imposed on his being, ones that made it harder than ever to advance in each aspect of everything. From stats to the grade, he was limited. If he was able to reach the edge of a Grade, rather than a gate, Conall judged he would stand in front of a wall.

At the same time, the ‘potential’ of his. If he couldn’t reach it, there was no way he would win against him.

Without waiting any more, with the sharp mirror, the boy plunged it into his heart, one thought remaining inside his head.

‘Fate's Ploy.’

Melting into his soul, the mirror quickly worked its purpose, changing the user’s wishes. The golden air from before intensified, golden light spreading through the slightly dark cave.

Just like a few seconds ago, another window appeared while behind his back, holding onto him desperately, a hideous, round, and bulbous creature tried to remain in the world.

Yet, quickly, the curses’ puffy eyes died down, dispersing into countless particles.

[You have dealt with a divine curse. A miracle has descended onto the world, blessing your existence.]

[The blessing, Fate’s Ender, releases your potential, and you shall tower over it.]

[Your blessed blood makes you slightly distance yourself from fate.]

Blinking at the last window, even though it was understandable, he couldn’t quite grasp it. Still, he easily stopped thinking about it as extreme pain overtook his attention.

Falling to his knees, Conall grasped the crystals around the ground, tightening his grip.

Clenching his jaw, his eyelids trembled as he felt every part of his body break apart.

Blood filled his vision as his eyes broke down, changing their shape. Everything inside of him started to grow out. Bones, muscles, organs, even his teeth.

All to correct the previous body he held.

“AHHHHHHH.”

Screaming at the top of his burning lungs, bloody tears left his eyes while he tried to scrape off the itching skin all across his body.

It was only after an hour that his body had finally changed. Lying in a puddle of his own blood, he looked at the cave with empty eyes, like a husk of his previous being.

Despite that, nothing was wrong with him. Taller and slightly leaner than before, everything remained the same.

‘I guess ‘potential’ meant everything, huh?’

Having the thought, Conall finally pushed himself off to sit down. His previously bloody and ruptured body was magically healed, probably because of the miracle, but most importantly, he couldn’t sit comfortably because the academy uniform was on the brink of tearing apart.

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Being specifically crafted for his measures, in order to protect enchants and inscriptions, it already had little room for expansion, not to mention the sudden growth he experienced.

It felt weird walking in a body that was suddenly much taller, probably of a head or so. He kept hitting his undersized shoes against the ground, needing a few minutes to comfortably walk around and run.

That being said, the red-haired boy rapidly adapted to his new height, already running back to the place where he came from, to check if Lorine succeeded, knowing very well she would.

Any time he took her here in the game, she always finished her task successfully, despite having weaker mana control than at the current moment.

No longer walled up, the fleshy walls of the cellar stopped pulsing around, but he had no problem seeing, clearly remembering the layout in his head.

Just like before, he used up aura to speed up his advance through the mansion, quickly realizing the outcome of forcing his obstructed aura pathways to open up.

The section he opened up dried up, similarly to the one he used against the dragonheart. And, just like before, his output decreased by about ten percent, but he still didn’t worry.

Flooding the dungeons allowed him to naturally clear out the pathways, increasing said output. With the manual from harmis in his ring, he would also be able to heal up the shriveled ones.

With no worries in mind, he sped through the mansion, needing roughly the same amount of time as before.

Standing before the ornate doors of the royal bedroom, he opened and sped through them and the stairs leading to the giant doors that were open, a sign of having defeated the boss.

Conall stared at the girl lying on the cold floor. Running up to check on her vitals, he released a soft sigh, getting a clear answer from the steady pulse of her heart.

Taking a seat beside her, on the marble, he didn’t have to wait long, as her azure eyes were already awake, gazing at the boy beside her.

“My body hurts.”

Blurting out a complaint, she saw him move his body a moment later, immediately helping her stand up.

“Let’s leave. We plundered everything already.”

“Alright.”

Agreeing, Lorine was about to take steps under his assistance before halting her movement toward the portal in the middle.

Feeling the resistance, Conall looked somewhat confused as the witch measured him up with a glare.

“Can you pinch me?”

“Why?”

“I must be in a dream.”

“What are you talking about?”

He asked, instantly realizing. Lorine was always taller than him. For the boy to all of a sudden stand a bit higher than her, while in undersized clothes, it felt as though she was hallucinating.

“Was I asleep for a year? Ouch!”

Getting fed up, he pinched her slightly on the cheek, to which she exclaimed painfully, a questioning glare coming off.

“You lied. What did you do while I was gone?”

Scratching his cheek, he let out an awkward cackle.

…

Night peeked in through the windows, his platinum hair and eyes reflecting the moon’s bright shine, yet, not enamored by the beauty, he ignored it, looking at the papers below him instead.

Ten feathers moved at a time, mana guiding them through the smooth sheets whilst leaving no heavy drops of ink in any spot. While the pens wrote by themselves, Lurius read through another stack, either putting the papers to the side or to be signed.

Though, for him to accept a single paper, he roughly went through fifty of them beforehand.

‘Yet another complaint for Morgana. Well, not that any of these can be used as evidence for her being a part of the Order.’

Throwing away the paper, Lurius went through countless more student reports, as well as requests. The ones from the Professors were less frequent, but as he noted through many years, they were also less professional compared to the students.

Something interesting finally caught his attention, an affair regarding the kingdom. Although he got slightly annoyed by the contents, demanding a pay increase of the food Laufiel imported, he couldn’t focus on it, as the whole building started to shake uncontrollably.

Not just the building, however. The ground spreading around the Dean Tower shook as mana ran rampant from beneath, almost collapsing from the heavy pressure it exerted.

‘An attack?’

He asked himself, quickly excluding such an option. He felt no ominosity in the mana surrounding him. The energy of life poured out of his core, with enough pressure to overcome the great deal of mana that came underneath.

Underneath? He suddenly thought before moving through the tower, leaving the office where an unsuspecting, sleeping Einna began to wake up from the abundant mana in the air.

A moment later, Lurius was already in the basement, looking at a duo of two people, standing beside a collapsing portal.

Before he could do anything to it, the dungeon closed off completely, leaving the world behind. Looking at them, especially at Conall, Lurius had many questions, though one needed to be answered immediately.

“Did you at least take everything out?”

Clearly, he was talking about the secret items still kept within the Kreon Mansion. And naturally, the boy nodded with a smile on his face, at least somewhat easing the dean’s frustrated look.

“Okay, let me see.”

“Now? Isn’t it a bit dark here?”

Holding up his finger, the darkness throughout the whole cellar had been erased, illuminated by what seemed like a thousand suns before calming down.

“Fine. Here you go.”

The bricks making up the basement survived the attack against a barrage of metallic pots and pans, followed by hard-covered books, spell scrolls, as well as normal ones, and top of it, he revealed a grimoire and a skill tome.

Lorine also complied, taking out her book on mana control, but more than anything, she couldn’t help but stare at the starstruck expression left on Lurius’s face.

His widened eyes and opened mouth screamed shock he had never experienced before. To make matters clear, when the academy took over the dungeon, the mansion was already empty.

Yet, tens of priceless possessions were gathered here.

“Y-you. What the hell did the goddess tell you?”

If earlier he doubted his ridiculous statement, the dean firmly believed it now.

‘You haven’t seen the best yet.’

Conall’s mischievous eyes scared him. From thin air, a round, whitish sphere appeared that glowed even in the fully enlightened room.

Immediately, as though something lit inside him, Lurius saw as the sphere dropped in slowed time, quickly moving mana to protect himself. There was no way he wouldn’t be able to notice what that thing was.

Staring with fear at the dungeon core, he covered himself in a thick layer of mana that resembled a full armor, seemingly impenetrable whatsoever.

Even the energy around seemed to condense and fall down, as if another, invisible layer of protection was there.

Yet, waiting countless moments with a heavy heart, already enclosing the whole basement in thick mana walls to protect Einna, he watched as the core bounced on the book covers before stopping, without reaching a critical point.

Incredulous from the reaction, Conall stared at the dean, while Lorine looked curiously at the core. She thought it was simply a beast crystal from Kreon himself, unable to comprehend the extreme reaction from Lurius.

Though, once she saw his face, she started to have doubts.

“Conall, is this not a beast crystal?”

“No, it’s a dungeon core.”

This time, she almost had a heart attack hearing him. Putting up five layers of her strongest barriers around her body, she quickly moved back a few steps.

“C-Conall, are you crazy?”

“Wait a second, both of you. It’s a reward for dealing with the ancient curse. It’s even safe to touch.”

And he did, promptly taking it away, his skin burning from the excessive energy inside.

Staring at him in the awkward silence, both Lorine and Lurius wanted him to take it away as quickly as possible.

“Store it back already.”

The dean exclaimed, not trusting the core’s stability in any way.

Somewhat hurt because they weren’t as excited as him, he put it back in his inventory, taking out the crystal sword instead.

“This is the last thing. King Kreon’s personal sword.”

Immediately, as Lurius’ magic armor disappeared, his eyes lit up in curiosity, treating the earlier situation as though it didn’t happen.

Then, he finally realized what the boy said.

‘Kreon?’

“But the lich didn’t have anything to do with the sword.”

“Because the lich wasn’t the king. The real boss was stuck beneath the mansion.”

Quickly, he realized. This was the secret Conall talked about previously.

“I see. What will you do with the sword? For that matter, all of the rewards?”

As much as he was interested in the king’s sword, he didn’t want to make his own weapon jealous. As for the books, he wanted them, but Conall’s contribution was enough for him to demand most of the items with no issues.

“Don’t worry, I will only be taking the grimoire, skill tome, and the pans while the mana control and the cauldron are for Lorine. Of course, the sword is mine. ”

With a smile at the end, he made Lurius smile as well. He couldn’t be angry at all, seeing how generous the boy decided to be.

Each party stored their items, only for the dean to finally ask the main question that clouded him. Though, before he could, a presence interrupted.

Rubbing her sleepy eyes, in pink pajamas, Einna walked down the steps.

“So, what’s happened to-”

“Dad? What is happening here?”

She asked, unable to properly open the eyes under so much light.

Quickly turning around, he tried to ease her worries.

“It’s nothing sweetie. You can go back to sleep.”

“I tried to. The mana is too high.”

Adjusting to the lights a few seconds later, she finally realized who stood alongside her father, much to her confusion.

There she was, Lorine, and Conall? All of a sudden, her composition changed, an embarrassed look appearing as she fidgeted inside the cute pajamas she wore.

“Good evening, Lorine and Conall.”

Promptly, she took a turn around, hurrying through the steps back to the ground floor.

Knowing that he was the cause for all of this, he couldn’t help but sigh slightly. Still, Lurius said something he didn’t expect.

“After the mountains disappear, go to her. She’s embarrassed, because she doesn’t know how to thank you.”

With nothing but a nod, Conall continued staring at the entrance to the basement.

…