Emil headed straight for the infirmary after exiting the Merit Hall, and after getting treatment decided to go back home and hit the bed.

The next day after classes, he could be seen at the Artifact Mall.

Over the course of thirty minutes, he checked out a dozen armors or so, but didn't feel like any of them were suitable.

They were either too heavy, too big or too expensive for him.

Magic Artifact's were much more expensive than spells, since copying spells was no issue while Magic Artifacts had to be manufactured individually.

The lowest grade Magic Armor started at a price of 200 Merit Points.

But since Emil had the real estate, he wanted to buy something better. Something that would stick with him for at least the entire school year.

"Perfect."

Emil exclaimed as he examined an armor.

It was light, almost as if he wasn't wearing anything and readjustable in size, so it fit him well.

He read the Armor's description.

"Mid-Grade Common Magic Armor.

Properties: Weightless, Shock Resistant, Tear Resistant.

Price: 480 Merit Points."

Emil contemplated for a while.

The Armor's weightlessness allowed him to move around freely, unlike other armors that were too heavy for his weak body.

The shock resistance property could save him from heavy impacts and the tear resistance should do well against slashes, like that of the Earth Bear's.

Not to mention it was a Mid-Grade armor, its durability could speak for itself.

At this price point, Emil didn't think it could get any better than this, so he purchased it.

He put the armor back on the shelf and walked up to the clerk.

The clerk, after confirming which armor he wanted, walked to the back and came out with a set of it.

After paying the 480 Merit Points, Emil walked out of the Armory, satisfied with his purchase.

The armor resting on his body was brown in color with a leather coating on the outside and a thin but unbendable metal coating on the inside.

The armor itself consisted only of a vest, a pair of braces and greaves, which covered his most vulnerable parts, namely his torso, forearms and shins.

Emil's arsenal was now extended to a certain degree.

He had two reliable spells he could use, an armor he could leave his life to, and pills of various types to enhance himself in battle.

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Perhaps though, none of them were as important as the experience he gained from each hunt.

He was now ever more confident in hunting, and ready to tackle all his missions.

For the next two weeks, Emil completed B rank missions one after another and invested most of the money into buying Mana Enhancement Tablets and a portion of it into buying Pellets.

He still got injured during some of his missions, and even failed them, but he was still making fat money compared to before.

With a steady source of income covering his cultivation costs, Emil's cultivation speed soared through the roof, to the point where finally, after two weeks, the breakthrough he was looking for took place.

***

Emil sat in his cultivation room quietly, his eyes closed.

The day of the competition was approaching, and so was his breakthrough, he could feel it.

Popping a pill in his mouth, he started refining the mana within it and banging at the second order's door.

Emil's mana core, his heart, was filled with mana to the brim, it had no more space.

Mana kept pouring out from. the pill regardless. Normally, he'd stop being able to cultivate at this point, but right now he felt like he needed more mana instead.

Soon, all the mana from the pill was exhausted, promoting Emil to pop another pill in his mouth.

But even that wasn't enough, so he had to swallow yet another pill while praying in his heart for a breakthrough.

This was his last pill, he didn't have anymore to consume. If he didn't breakthrough with this he was done for.

Breakthroughs required a large amounts of mana according to his books, but he didn't think it'd be this much.

This quantity of mana would have his body implode under normal circumstances, but right now, he only felt like it was lacking.

Emil finally heaved a sigh of relief when his heartbeat started increasing and mana and blood circulated through his body at an unprecedented rate.

His originally full mana core was starting to drain as he felt both his mana and body strengthening at a quick pace.

He was breaking through!

The process stopped after a few minutes, leaving Emil feeling stronger than ever.

He felt like he cold crush a mountain with just a pinch of his fingers, or summon a fire sword big enough to split the skies at his will.

it was of course, all but an illusion, but his rise in strength was undeniable.

He felt like if he went against the Earth Bear now, he could come out without any injuries, though he'd still have to take pills and potions regardless since he couldn't augment his body.

Instead of leaving himself guessing, Emil decided to test his new power for himself.

"Attash."

A fireball burst into life within his palm.

It was roughly 50% bigger than before, around the size of an apple, and had a more orange tint to it.

Walking to the training room, Emil smashed the fireball against one of the dummies' face, leaving a large dent in between.

Much stronger than before, around 50%, the same as its increase in size.

This extra power came with an extra cost though.

At the peak of the previous order, Emil could summon six or seven fireballs before his mana was drained.

Now he could only do three at best.

After fiddling around with his mana a bit more, Emil took out Emerald Reflection.

The sword's originally heavy weight still felt heavy to him, but much more manageable than before.

Emil felt like he could swing it for at least ten minutes straight without needing a break, which was a vast improvement compared to before.

If he were to rank his own body strength now, then it'd be somewhere around the same level as a mage of equal cultivation.

This level may seem pathetic for a Knight like him, but it was still an improvement considering how weak he used to be.

In time, he was sure to further enhance his physique through cultivation.

There were in fact many methods of doing it for a Knight.

One way would be normal cultivation, another way would be external body cultivation which was possible only for Knights, and of course. Pills and Tonics were always an option.

Pills such as Body Strengthening Tablets which were always available to Emil. but he didn't use them since his priority was breaking through the second order.

Or Tonics like the Body Tempering Elixir and Bone Tempering Elixir.

The former could be purchased from the shop while the latter...

Emil exited his room and headed towards the Monolith Square.

He was now a Second Order Knight, so he was eligible to participate in the competition.

it was finally time to register.