Esteemed One
Unaware of what everyone else was thinking, Zack caught wind of their chatter and couldn't help but think, "Alright, looks like they're buying it. They think everything's fine with my advancement. But sorry, Sir Cedric, I'm still gonna bust this room. Though, with your skills, you should be able to handle it."
Two more weeks flew by.
Suddenly, the pressure from Zack doubled, and the vortex went into overdrive until finally, the room was on the brink of collapse.
Crack! Crack!
As the room teetered on the brink of collapse, Sir Cedric sprang into action. With swift precision, he directed both palms towards the floor, prompting two protrusions to shoot up and into his grasp. A large and intricate magic circle unfurled from the point of contact between his palms and the protrusions, with lines of formations extending from them all the way to the advancement room.
In an instant, the formations throughout the room blazed brightly, and the previously creaking space stabilized. Sir Cedric assumed control of the defensive formations, manually operating them and infusing them with his own mana.
"Whew, I've passed the critical period," Sir Cedric exclaimed through gritted teeth, his face glistening with cold sweat. He had intervened at the last possible moment, knowing that controlling the defensive formation in the advancement room would drain his mana due to its complexity.
Despite the defensive formation drawing power from the tower itself, Sir Cedric's role was essential, as he spent his mana to control the formations. The complexity of these formations was staggering, making it impossible for him to sustain the room's stability for the entire duration of Sir Zack's two-month-long advancement.
Sensing the immense pressure exerted on the room, Sir Cedric breathed a sigh of relief. "Thankfully, we reinforced it before this advancement; otherwise, it wouldn't have held," he remarked, acknowledging the importance of their preparations.
"We apologize for not being able to share your burden, Sir Cedric," Lady Evangeline said apologetically, her tone sincere.
"I too underestimated the complexity of the formations," Sir Archibald added, echoing Lady Evangeline's sentiment.
Prior to Sir Zack's advancement, both had attempted to control the formations themselves, only to realize their lack of expertise. In fact, their efforts had inadvertently hindered Sir Cedric's operations instead of assisting him.
Despite the immense strain of his current task, Sir Cedric couldn't resist a smug chuckle. "Heheh, finally admitting it, are we?" he remarked, a hint of self-satisfaction in his tone. "Witness the greatest formation master on the continent in action."
Lady Evangeline's annoyance was palpable. "Hmph, boasting about your skills does not befit a level 2 wizard of your stature. You've lost my respect," she stated curtly.
Sir Archibald mirrored her disapproving look, his disdain apparent.
"Hey, cut me some slack, will you?" Sir Cedric countered, his tone lighthearted. "A little self-celebration never hurt anyone."
"Mind your decorum; you're in the presence of a junior," Lady Evangeline interjected sharply, prompting Sir Cedric to fall silent abruptly.
Listening to the banter from the other room, Zack was at a loss for words. 'This old geezer still cracks jokes even while working on the formations. Looks like I haven't cranked up the pressure enough yet,' he mused, increasing the vortex once more.
"Argh!"
The yell from Sir Cedric reached Zack's ears, prompting a satisfied smirk from Zack, quickly wiped away just in case Sir Cedric caught it.
With his hair and robe billowing and the vortex swirling intensely, the room was filled with a thick white mist crashing against the walls. The pressure from Zack's mana created a chaotic atmosphere inside, but it still didn't match the intensity within his mana heart.
Turning his gaze to his mana heart, Zack was greeted by a breathtaking sight once more. Thousands of colossal golden mana cores revolved around a similarly massive blue core, resembling planets orbiting their star. Millions upon millions of mana particles were drawn in by the golden cores, swirling around them like glittering clouds, reminiscent of the galaxy from his previous world.
The only difference was that the galaxy before him seemed alive. Periodically, pulses of light emanated from the central blue core, triggering exchanges of mana between the cores, both inward and outward. It was like light spreading out and then returning with every pulse, akin to the beating of a heart.
"Wow, so beautiful," he unconsciously muttered, entranced by the sight. Shaking himself out of his stupor, he refocused. The outer sea of light surrounding his galaxy was nearly empty, with only the remaining mana particles inside the swirling galaxy slowly being absorbed by the cores.
He could also sense that all the mana in his cores had almost transformed into a purer form. While the size of the mana inside each core remained the same, the purity had doubled, meaning he now had twice the amount of mana.
After waiting another week, all of the mana had been converted, leaving only a small sea of light that now resembled nebula clouds adorning the galaxy of mana cores in his mana heart. As soon as the last bit of mana was converted, the connection between his mana heart and his body returned, and he quickly felt the effects of the increased purity.
Zack had already eased off the pressure from his overt mana and was planning to descend gracefully to the ground. But his body, especially his muscles, began to tremble. Packed with so much mana now, the pressure from the movement of his mana-infused muscles forced him to float in the air. The air crackled and popped dangerously around him.
"Oh crap!" he shouted. "PROTECT YOURSELF!"
The pressure he exerted caused the air to explode inside the room, hitting the walls, including the one-way mirror connected to the observation room. The room, already in a ragtag condition from Zack's advancement, combined with Sir Cedric's unpreparedness, caused the mirror to shatter.
BOOM!
Fortunately, the explosion only appeared threatening due to the glass's brittle condition. The actual power was only at the level of a level 1 spell. As the dust settled, all three level 2 wizards let their innate defensive spells protect them, and none of them had so much as a scratch.
Glancing to the side, Zack saw that Fannie was also protected by her innate spell, and the explosion hadn't even managed to touch her defensive barrier because the three outsider wizards had swiftly moved in front of her. They activated their level 2 defensive spell, [Athena's Shield - Aegis - Node], blending their spells together seamlessly to create a powerful shield. Yes, those three outsider wizards were Zack's clones. He had even equipped them with defensive cores as a precaution.
Meanwhile, Sir Cedric, Sir Archibald, and Lady Evangeline's eyes narrowed to needles. "Le-level 3!?" Sir Cedric's voice trembled, breaking the silence.
Zack quickly instructed the clones to retract their spells, used Hidden Strength to temporarily limit his own strength, and hurried in front of the people behind the shattered mirror. He first checked on Fannie, asking if she was hurt.
Seeing Zack's concern, Fannie smiled reassuringly. "Not at all, teacher. You can relax. I think it's better for you to deal with those three first." She glanced at the dumbfounded faces of the three level 2 wizards from the Lightning Tower.
Zack let out a relieved sigh. Despite knowing Fannie wouldn't be harmed by the weak explosion and the protection from the level 3 clones, he had still been worried until she confirmed she was okay. Then, he turned his attention to the three level 2 wizards and awkwardly chuckled, "Hahaha, what are you talking about, Sir Cedric? There's no way there are so many level 3 wizards out there, right?"
But Sir Cedric didn't join Zack in laughter; he remained silent, as did Sir Archibald and Lady Evangeline. None of them could bring themselves to believe Zack's claim. They were certain they could distinguish the pressure emitted by a level 3 spell from that of a level 2 spell. However, they couldn't deny that the previous spell lacked the fluctuations of concept, leaving them somewhat doubtful.
In reality, the spell itself was only a level 2 innate spell. However, due to the amount of mana the clones put into it, the spell's power increased to the level 3 threshold. This, in turn, emitted a pressure that the three level 2 wizards mistook for that of a level 3 spell.
After an awkward silence, Lady Evangeline suddenly kneeled on one knee and saluted Zack. "Congratulations, esteemed one, on achieving your breakthrough."
Sir Cedric and Sir Archibald were startled and realized they should also salute Zack for his newfound status as a level 3 wizard. "Congratulations, esteemed one, on achieving your breakthrough!"
"Okay, okay, please get up. There's no need for that," Zack hurriedly used his mana to lift the three level 2 wizards from their kneeling position. They were shocked; they felt completely powerless against Zack's mana, realizing the vast difference in purity and power between them. It was a stark reminder of just how powerful a level 3 wizard was.
"No, esteemed one, that's the etiquette since ancient times," Lady Evangeline spoke while looking at the ground.
Zack was exasperated. "Why are you talking to me while looking at the ground?" He used his mana to force Lady Evangeline to look at him and asked, "Is looking at the ground while speaking to a level 3 powerhouse part of the etiquette?"
"Yes, esteemed one!" Lady Evangeline answered energetically, though she averted her eyes down when Zack made it impossible for her to bow her head.
Zack's eyelid twitched. "Okay, next time you don't have to do all that. And what's with 'esteemed one' this and 'esteemed one' that? Just call me like usual! Sir Zack or Professor Zack, either way is fine."
"N—" Before Lady Evangeline could retort, Zack exerted pressure on her, causing her to turn pale and close her mouth.
"Yes, Sir Zack," Lady Evangeline eventually agreed reluctantly.
"You guys should do the same," Zack said to Sir Cedric and Sir Archibald, who had remained quiet.
"Yes, Sir Zack!" they both shouted simultaneously.
Watching their antics, Zack couldn't help but chuckle. Then, Lady Evangeline spoke again. "Sir Zack, would you like to discuss the details of transferring the tower master title to you here or in the meeting room?" She didn't even ask if he wanted to become the tower master; it was as if transferring the title was a given.
Zack made a disgusted face. "You can keep that position. Let's stick with our current positions; I'm satisfied with that."
"No can do, estee— I mean, Sir Zack. This has been part of the tower's tradition since ancient times."
In the middle of her sentence, Zack exerted pressure on her again. This time, however, she didn't relent and finished her sentence despite her face turning pale and beads of sweat appearing on her forehead. At the end of her sentence, she looked at Zack with stubborn eyes.
Zack sighed. "Alright, alright. We'll discuss the specifics tomorrow. Let me rest and stabilize my level for today, alright?"
Lady Evangeline's face brightened, and she nodded. "Alright, may you have a pleasant rest, esteem— I mean, Sir Zack."
"May your rest be serene, Sir Zack," Sir Cedric chimed in.
"May you have a tranquil rest, Sir Zack," added Sir Archibald.
Listening to Lady Evangeline, who always seemed on the verge of misspeaking and calling Zack "esteemed one" once again, Zack's eyelids twitched. 'I swear this lady does that on purpose.'
He waved his hand to the three level wizards and left the room with Fannie and his three clones.
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Name: Zack
Age: 35/1000 (2,190,000)
Occupation: Official Wizard - Level 3
Contract: [Lightning Magic Tower - Official Member]
Hidden Contract: -
Mana: 40600/40600 (109,500,000/109,500,000)
Overt Talent: [Low Mana Manipulation Correction], [Low Mana Sensory Correction]
Hidden Talent: [Limitless Mana Well], [Advanced Mana Manipulation Correction], [Advanced Mana Sensory Correction], [Advanced Intelligence Correction], [Enhanced Computation Power]
Hidden Boss Abilities: [Hidden Strength], [Thousand Faces], [Cosmic Weed]
HBP: 3
HB Progress Bar: 10/100%
Expand Hidden Boss abilities Store? yes/no
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