Glenn stared at the ceiling, contemplating the multitude of tasks ahead. During his conversation with the inebriated Carys, he grasped that there was a fifty percent likelihood of Baron Howard making an appearance in the Northern Town in the coming days. "Probably in three days," he had mentioned. This would provide them with the chance to unmask the Black Heir in his service and see if he was Giselle's grandson.

Their primary objective was to confirm whether he was indeed Callum, perhaps by engaging him in conversation. Regardless, they would likely need to navigate through the Baron's guards, a task that could prove either challenging or straightforward, depending on the effectiveness of the crested ring as a pass. This endeavor would also provide an opportunity to assess the Baron's security measures and determine the feasibility of rescuing Callum safely.

There was a reasonable chance of success, especially with Sahro's assistance. After all, Howard was among the lowest-ranking nobles; he wouldn't venture to the Fringe otherwise, and that meant that there was a good chance that his security was weaker than their power. Glenn found himself appreciating the presence of this seemingly foolish companion, as it expanded their strategic options considerably. They would be meeting the Black Heir during lunch in a few hours at the Dining Hall. Glenn hoped that his comrade managed to gather some useful information about the noble by then.

In addition, he needed to grow stronger and do so rapidly. He shuddered, recalling the horrors of his abduction and time spent in captivity. Firmly, he resolved not to return to that nightmarish place at any cost. He needed to dedicate more time to the Savant Room, expanding his repertoire of spells and possibly aiming for the Third Circle. Achieving the status of a True Initiate would undoubtedly bolster his abilities, a necessity should he find himself pitted against the Thorns Church adversaries, a confrontation that seemed inevitable. With the Mark now upon him, fleeing was no longer an option. Moreover, if his memory served him well, Diamanes would reveal crucial information once he reached that stage, providing further motivation to attain it.

Diamanes was right, he had to destroy those cultists sickos. He'd also have to figure out a way to stop his left hand from accidentally eating the Savant Room so that what happened last night wouldn't happen again.

Glenn also recalled the Black Heirs outside the city and wondered if Giselle had kept her promise. If the conflict with the accursed church were to commence, perhaps he could anticipate some relief from the burdens weighing on his shoulders.

"I wish them luck," he muttered. Glancing through the grimy window, he noticed that the sun had begun its ascent, casting a gentle veil of orange morning light over the town. He had not rested at all that night, all thanks to the cursed affliction. With a sigh, he rose from his bed and began to attire himself. As he readied to leave his room, he couldn't help but yearn for a comforting cup of coffee, but sadly this divine nectar didn't seem to exist in this world. He'll have to look into that if he has the time.

When he swung open his door, his fatigued eyes were greeted by the unexpected sight of Sir Reginald standing in the corridor, absently twirling his mustache.

'Wait, how long has he been there?' Glenn wondered.

The gentleman gracefully tipped his top hat, offering a slight bow. "Hello, Mr. Glenn. I shall require your presence to accompany me."

Glenn's eyebrows arched in surprise. Could it be related to the Seed of Darkness? He didn't have much time to ponder as the Cleaner briskly set off, compelling Glenn to hurriedly follow suit. Exiting the Dormitory and entering a designated "Cleaner Only" area, they eventually arrived in a vast chamber that bore an uncanny resemblance to...a courtroom?

Was he going to pass a trial?

There were Cleaners all around, be it in the stands, or the place of the judges. Everyone was wearing white garments decorated with red crosses, making Glenn feel extremely out of place. He was welcomed with worried whispers and careful glances. He recognized Mary, as well as the two members of the Delora family, Tom, the strange, tiny-robed figure, as well as the bald Tak. He looked up, discovering that the Cleaner who was directing the assembly was Kane, the Manager of this Cleaner's Workshop. Glenn tried to look for Rusty Stoneheart but he didn't manage to find him in the audience.

The resounding thud of a wooden gavel struck the table before Kane, silencing all the murmurs in an instant and startling Glenn. He cautiously advanced, gazing at Kane with a quizzical expression. An empty lectern awaited him, presumably intended for his use, as no one else appeared to be present.

Kane massaged his ass-shaped chin thoughtfully before heaving a weary sigh.

"Our apologies to you, Mr. Glenn," he began, his eyes reflecting fatigue," but this couldn't wait anymore. We got the results of the headquarters about the item you gave us, and it, sadly, is indeed a Seed of Darkness. It has been taken care of, in a place and way that you don't have to worry about."

Kane leaned forward, his fatigued gaze fixed on Glenn. "Now, what we need to ascertain is precisely how you came to possess this cursed artifact."

Glenn surveyed his surroundings before absentmindedly massaging his neck. "Well," he began, casting a cautious glance at Kane," it's a rather lengthy tale. Are you certain you wish for me to tell you everything right now?"

Kane nodded solemnly, and Glenn responded with a nonchalant shrug. "So be it, then." Without a shred of hesitation, he recounted the story of how he got abducted, not even bothering to lie about why they attacked him. He destroyed their stash of drugs, was attacked and kidnapped, and then tortured for two months or so. He only escaped thanks to his incredible survival skills and luck, and totally not thanks to the intervention of a certain evil entity living in his left hand. During his escape, he picked up that Seed of Darkness, hoping to cause enough chaos to create an opportunity to escape, which succeeded. And now he was there, judged even though he just wanted to Meditate the night off.

Kane's countenance grew somber, and his eyes exhibited a hint of unease. The murmurs from the audience resumed their interest in Glenn waning. Glenn fixed his gaze on Kane, attempting to gauge the forthcoming developments. He couldn't help but feel that he had just delivered a significant revelation to the Cleaners. What would be their response?

Kane waved away, before leaving his place to talk with a few old men in a corner of the courtroom. Sir Reginald motioned at Glenn to follow him, guiding him out of the Cleaner's only area. He was about to leave but stopped when Glenn called at him.

"Sir Reginald!"

The gentleman froze, his hand placed on his top hat.

"What's going to happen now?" Glenn asked, curious.

Reginald looked at him silently for a moment, and simply left Glenn there without a word.

"Shit is going down," He muttered, staring at the back of the gentleman shrinking in the corridors of the Cleaner's Workshop.

"Hgn, what?" Diamanes, who went back to sleep after getting rid of Glenn's curse, groaned in displeasure.

Glenn shook his head and responded in a dry tone.

The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

"Go back to sleep, idiot."

Diamanes obliged, leaving Glenn alone with his thoughts. He decided to use the early morning to go and practice his spells in the Savant Room. Since Diamanes was asleep, he wouldn't have to "eat his way out" of the room, avoiding the problem he had last time. He made his way there expeditiously, departing from the confines of the Cleaner's Workshop and traversing the labyrinthine lanes of the Northern Town. At this early hour, he encountered few individuals apart from the diligent farmers embarking on their workday.

He entered the humble shack and summoned his Key. "Key" seemed far more practical as a name compared to the cumbersome "Recommendation plate to the Magi Brotherhood," so he settled on that designation. After traversing the intricate twists and turns of the teleportation process, he materialized in the main lobby of the Magi Brotherhood. To his surprise, the area was teeming with activity, mirroring the bustling ambiance of his previous visit. It appeared that mages were impervious to weariness, a testament to the efficacy of Meditation in addressing such concerns.

He used his Key to get to the Savant Room, and quickly went to work. He had a list of magic spells he had to work on. At this time, he only owned a few spells: the familiar Magic Bullet, a nice offensive magic, the Arcane Auger, aka the big magic drill, and Implosion, his ultimate. He could use having more spells in his arsenal, to have more adaptability and less restraint in his choices of attacks. First, he tried to go for a magic shield, working on it with the Draconic School methods. A defense summoned instantly would be ten times more useful than a defense summoned too late because he had to yell some power words.

He thought of a strong, sturdy, and wide shield that would block anything. Stronger than stone, metal, or anything. He channeled his Mana, summoning a thick shield in the air covering his whole body and more. It was floating a few centimeters above ground when Glenn felt his Mana leave his body at an abnormal rate. He slowed down the flow and discovered that instead of simply disappearing, the heavy shield had crashed into the ground as if it were made out of actual matter. Curious, he tried to pull it from the ground, finding it manageable but still quite hard. The shield was also not very ergonomic to hold, having no grip or strap, being essentially just a huge chunk of Mana that would block attacks for him.

He wondered about its defense capabilities.

"Can I get something to attack this shield?" As soon as he asked for it, a fireball flew out of nowhere toward him. He struggled to raise the shield, blocking the attack. The shock was very light, and Glenn didn't even feel the heat of the attack. He looked at the shield, seeing that there was no apparent damage. His Mana had been consumed slightly, but nothing too incredible. Glenn cut off the flow of the spell, thinking about the results of his experience.

From what he gathered, he could summon a very heavy magic shield, very resilient, for a bit of Mana, and it would work. The issue was with it floating in the air. This "option" used way much more Mana than just summoning the shield and using it like a real one. He changed the design of his shield, trying to get something more shield-looking and a less big chunk of Mana. He imagined a nice shield, ten centimeters thick, with a nice handle to hold it. He channeled his Mana once more, summoning a kite shield with a narrow top and a wide bottom.

It was smaller than its huge counterpart, but it was easier to handle and could be strapped to his arm. He could also make it float a little, even if it wasn't cost-effective at all in terms of Mana. He decided to name this version the Portable Shield, and the other the Magic Wall. He could summon the Magic Wall to cover behind when a huge attack came at him, and the Portable Shield for more precise shots. With this, his defense was bolstered pretty well.

He thought about trying to make it in a School of Words spell, but he shook his head. Now was not the time to get contribution points; he'll do that when he's strong enough to not care about these masochists of the Thorns Church. Now he had to invest some time trying to learn buffing spells.

Glenn felt like it was a strange idea when he thought back to it, that it was very video-game-like to summon a buff. How does it work? In a game, a buff augments a percentage of certain stats or helps do certain actions quicker or with more strength. But how could he do that in reality? A speed buff could almost be considered like time magic, he supposed, while he had a difficult time even understanding a strength buff. Make the muscles tougher somehow? He summoned the terminal, intending to check if any spells could augment one's power available. After flipping through a few pages, he discovered something similar to what he was looking for.

* Spell: Blood Surge, provided by Azenoir

* Description: The spell manifests by rendering the veins of the target intensely conspicuous; aside from this, no physical alteration is observed. It induces an extraordinary acceleration of blood circulation within the recipient's body.

* Usage: Blood Surge serves the purpose of providing a temporary enhancement to the physical capabilities of the target, encompassing strength, agility, and reaction times. Additionally, it expedites the natural healing process, mitigates the onset of fatigue, and results in heightened mental acuity, alertness, and cognitive functions.

* CAUTION: Excessive utilization carries the potential to be fatal for individuals with underlying heart conditions, poses a risk of overtaxing the target's physical limits, enhances dehydration, fosters the formation of blood clots, and may lead to internal injuries if recklessly employed.

* Formula: ???

* Mana Usage: ???

Glenn gasped at the spell. This was balance-breaking! Op! It buffed the entirety of a person's body! Well, the risk of dying when using it might look a bit bad, but the creator of the spell probably went overkill a little with the warning. He looked for the cost, his eyes widening in shock. One hundred ?!? He thought there were no spells above fifty! And fifty points was all he had! Damn it!

"Why the hell is it so expensive?" He complained, letting go of the terminal. This was the perfect spell! Well, now that he had the idea thanks to the description, perhaps he could try to replicate it in the Draconic School way. He tried to imagine his blood flow accelerating, pulled by the Mana. He concentrated, entering a state of Meditation accidentally. He saw his body in front of him, with the veins highlighted in red. He tried to imagine controlling the Mana delicately to help the blood run faster, but he soon ran into an issue. It was impossible to control Mana with such precision. Well, he didn't know about better mages, but it was impossible for him, that's for sure.

Glenn sighed, leaving his projects for a magic buff for later. Now was the time to get to the even cooler part. The offensive spells. Glenn first began to imagine the Arcane Auger and the Magic Bullet and tried to fuse them, creating a small, drilling bullet. It was his first intended goal back when he made it in front of the steel pillar, but his understanding was too shallow for that. Well, it's not really like his understanding jumped up in level since the Test, but he did understand things a bit more now. He imagined the small bullet spinning, the drilling engravings making it look even cooler. Finally, he channeled his Mana, summoning his first Drilling Bullet.

"Ahh, it feels good to have something work exactly like I want it to!" exclaimed Glenn. He then asked the Savant Room for a target, and it happily obliged. A steel dummy appeared thirty meters away. Without waiting, he shot his Drilling Bullet, carefully watching the results. The projectile penetrated the steel easily, before disappearing in a cloud of Mana after a few centimeters in. Glenn strained his eyes, doubting the efficiency of this spell all of a sudden.

"Maybe I should use both as different ways to approach enemies. The Drilling Bullet is probably great against armored opponents or monsters, while the Magic Bullet can blow flesh off, like with the Fat Rats back in the bakery," Glenn explained to himself aloud. Every other mage was too concentrated on their things to listen to him, anyway. The only downside of this new spell was that it consumed double what the Magic Bullet used, but it wasn't a lot anyway. Those two spells were still very, very basic spells, explaining their low expenditures.

Well, that was a good improvement overall. He then tried to think of one last spell, one to use if he was surrounded by a lot of enemies, like in the Fields and its army of creepy scarecrows. Maybe a Fireball would do the trick? Glenn didn't waste any time trying, imagining a fiery, destructive ball of fire. He channeled his Mana and...nothing happened. He creased his eyebrows and tried again, focusing on the image in his head, but no matter how hard he tried, nothing would happen. He was just throwing Mana away. Glenn grimaced, before trying another spell. He imagined a simple directed shockwave that would leave from his palm. The concept well attached in his mind, he channeled his Mana, witnessing in silence as he blasted away a dummy that he had summoned pre-emptively, kicking it away for a few meters.

Why could he do this spell and not the other? What was different? Was it perhaps because he tried to use an element, fire in this case to create his Fireball?

Glenn shook his head. He could summon a Fire Spark without any issue using the School of Words.

Wait.

Could he do it with just his thoughts though?

Glenn concentrated, imagining a little flame burning on top of his finger. He channeled his Mana and...once again nothing happened.

He groaned in confusion. Why wouldn't it work?