In the tension-ridden atmosphere, the dagger cruelly approached the fragile librarian. With swift precision, Lily conjured a complex weave of [Light Shields] in urgent succession. Layer after layer appeared, each essentially stacked atop the previous. Even if layered, the shields had no chance of stopping the blow, but that was the least of Lily’s worries.
The [Executioner], whose level was above 160, possessed stats that dwarfed Lily’s current abilities by insurmountable proportions. Inevitably, his dagger sliced through her shields, each layer succumbing like butter and yielding to the searing heat of the blade, dissipating in luminous sparks. However, that achieved exactly what she had plotted for: the abrupt depletion of the barriers triggering the instant exhaustion of Lily’s Mana reserves.
A wave of weakness engulfed Lily, her consciousness fraying at the edges. The world around her blurred, and her petite frame swayed. Everything spun around, but from the periphery of her dimming vision, Lumius emerged, reaching for her faltering form, propping her up, and preventing her from falling to the hard ground.
He picked her up in a princess-carry without saying a word as a feeble smile appeared across her face.
Beside them, the [Cardinal] begrudgingly raised his hands. “She has no more Mana. Aurora Claudia… has won,” he declared, visibly upset.
...
Lily woke up in her bed in the Papal Estate, feeling a splitting headache taking over her and hissing from pain.
[*Ding!* Adjunct Skill – Lesser Mandala of Medicine level 3!]
[*Ding!* Adjunct Skill – Lesser Mandala of Medicine level 4!]
[*Ding!* Adjunct Skill – Lesser Mandala of Medicine level 5!]
[*Ding!* Adjunct Skill – Lesser Mandala of Medicine level 6!]
[*Ding!* Adjunct Skill – Lesser Mandala of Medicine level 7!]
[*Ding!* Skill – {Master} Minor Healing level 2!]
[*Ding!* Skill – {Master} Minor Healing level 3!]
“You won,” she heard a monotone voice from the other side of the room and found Lumius sitting on the couch against the wall, just below the painting of [Saintess] Seraphina. The proclamation echoed through the chamber, reverberating against the stone walls.
“I—I,” she clutched her head again and groaned.
The gray-haired boy got up and came to her side, extending to her a glass full of blue liquid. She unceremoniously took it and downed it in a few big gulps, feeling the alchemical concoction alleviating the massive headache.
Lumius hesitated for a moment before speaking up, “That was smart. The [Executioner] didn’t expect it at all.”
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“Is that a compliment?” She mocked him with a weak voice.
“Yes. Do not get used to it. This will have consequences,” Lumius said, refocusing, “but the library staff has been escorted to your family’s estate. They are all safe.”
“Aurora, my—”
“Call me Lily,” she told him.
“Lily,” Lumius chewed on the word, “my father just came back from his trip. The [Cardinal] is talking to him right now.”
“About me?”
“Among other matters,” the boy stared at her with his stark gray eyes.
“Will they punish me?”
“Perhaps,” the boy said. “But you should rest now. What’s done is done.”
That said, Lumius hesitated for a moment before walking toward the door.
“Hey,” Lily said, stopping the boy mid-track, feeling guilty for how she had treated him in the past few weeks. “Thank you for catching me.”
“It was easy. You’re too thin. Eat more.”
Lumius gently closed the door behind himself as he left the room.
Lily felt a subtle warmth spread through her heart. She wasn’t sure how long it had been since she had been proud of herself since she had done something she wanted to do. She had defied her mother’s orders and teachings countless times in this new life, but this was the first time she felt content.
Lily caught her breath as she mentally scrolled through the notifications in her mind. Despite her victory, however, something was off with her skills.
Why hasn’t [Divine Geometry] leveled up?
...
Elysium swung the sword with all his might, activating [Templar’s Hammercut] to add more oomph to the attack. The sword slashed a part of the mannequin his family had set up for him.
“Darn right!” His father exclaimed, clapping excitedly for his son. He had no idea how the kid had gotten this good this fast, but he was definitely not going to complain. “Elysium, boy, you are incredible!”
“Thanks,” Elysium replied to Alexander, his father, with a hint of brooding. The grown man, however, didn’t pick up on the underlying note in the boy’s voice.
“Some of that girl’s talent must have rubbed off on you,” the man said, walking up to his child and ruffling his hair.
“He’s still too strong! That damn—” Elysium cut himself off before giving away why he had been training like a madman. He wanted to put a sword through the mean kid that Lily hung out with now.
“Boy, don’t get upset now!” His father laughed again. “What’s the level of this skill?”
“Level twenty-one,” Elysium said with his chest puffed out.
“Shadows take me; you will be stronger than your old man, boy!” Alexander bent forward and scooped up his son like a feather, thanks to his incredibly high physical stats, and gently ruffled the boy’s hair again.
However, Elysium was still frustrated that his skill did not level up fast enough for him to catch up with Lily and, most importantly, with Lumius.
…
Elysium was at the kitchen table with his parents, both eating huge portions of grilled pork and mashed potatoes. Physical fighters consumed a lot of food to stay at the top of their game.
“Your father told me about your skill,” Ligea spoke tiredly. They were rotated out of the battlefield two days ago and were still recuperating. “Keep it going, sweetie. One day, you’ll be killing [Necromancers] with us!”
Elysium nodded half-heartedly.
“Mom, how can one grow even stronger? The mannequins don’t really level up my skills much…”
“Huh?” Elysium’s father frowned. “What do you mean?”
“How do I become stronger?”
“Sweetie, you’re already progressing faster than most other future [Templars] at your age. You’ll do just fine. When you get your class, your skills will grow even stronger on the battlefield. For a combat class, a mannequin can only do so much. You’ll need real combat; but don’t worry, we’ll bring you with us to level up when the time is right. You’re still young.”
But Elysium didn’t know what ‘young’ meant. In fact, he had just gotten an important reminder from his mother.
I need to fight monsters and baddies, he told himself.
And since his parents would be leaving again soon, he would get the opportunity to do just that. Even without Lily’s healing, he was determined to catch up to that gray-haired bastard. And he knew just the perfect place for it.
The sewer.