For the next ten or so days, everything went smoothly.

Adrian kept himself busy with studies, work, and Ariana. Their relationship was going well.

Classes continued without interruption. Elizabeth no longer disturbed him, and though it might've been his imagination, she even seemed to be paying attention now.

As for his studies, he had already reached the final stage of the fourth thread.

There were seven days left before the deadline set by the system.

He was confident he could finish his studies by tomorrow and begin experimenting the day after.

If things went as smoothly as they had with the third thread, he might be able to tune a fourth grade by the third day.

Now, it all depended on how much focus he could maintain.

At present, he was in his new workshop—built on the same site using the funds Ruby had provided. Inside were the three female students he was tutoring.

Elana had fully recovered—her arm was completely healed. Yet, she had requested to continue attending extra classes.

Since she wasn't causing any trouble, Adrian didn't mind. But he did warn the three girls not to invite anyone else.

Thalia and the others had nodded immediately.

"So, have you finally mastered mana point reading?" Adrian asked, turning to Thalia.

The girl smiled awkwardly. "Ah… I've started connecting with the subject. I can see the mana points, but evaluating how many pores there are—or linking them—is still difficult."

Adrian frowned slightly. "You can see them, but not all of them, right?"

Thalia nodded.

Adrian sighed. It wasn't a problem he hadn't anticipated.

Mana pores were difficult to detect, especially those that released very little mana.

Some could be hidden beneath clothing, and others might be mistaken for dust or dirt on the skin. That was why, before tuning the second thread, Adrian always asked the subject to bathe and clean their body thoroughly.

After a short pause, he said, "Alright. Try to connect four pores to the weapon." As he spoke, he stepped closer to the chair in front of her—only for Elana to interject,

"Uhm, let me help her, Professor," she volunteered.

Adrian raised an eyebrow. "Elana… only one of your mana pores is on your arms. The rest are under your clothes, aren't they?"

Elana's lips curved into a teasing smile. "Oh? You know that?"

"…ahem." (Thalia)

"…"

Well, Adrian could sense mana pores through clothing—but had he just created a misunderstanding?

"Here, let me be the subject," Sylvie said, coming to the rescue. She sat down on the chair and held out her arms.

Adrian glanced at the silver-haired girl and noticed the redness in her ears.

'Why do you even tease when you get embarrassed yourself?'

Shaking his head, he soon wrapped up the class and retired to his office.

Sitting on his chair, he called out, 'Show me my stats,'

[Name: Adrian]

[Age: 23]

[Race: Human]

[Str: 31]

[Spd: 28]

[End: 49]

[MP: 300/300] (Avg: 100)

[HP: 100/100]

His magic had improved after using the Golem.

Each time he used it, the limitations stretched a little further. Every time he pushed himself to the bottom of his reserves, the total capacity grew.

But increasing his magic pool alone didn't give him a major edge.

Why?

Because of his frustrating lack of control.

He still lost more than half of his energy just by using body strengthening—a basic technique most Acolytes used as naturally as breathing. And yet, for him, it drained his reserves in seconds.

Even with the Golem, he could barely stay conscious after using it for what, two minutes?

This can't go on. I need to get stronger—fast.

The next arc was bound to be different now. It focused on characters close to the Juggler and the Spell Chanter.

Originally, the next villain was supposed to come after Allen, driven by revenge. But since Juggler and the others had survived… the plot was going to spiral into chaos.

It was going to be hell.

Adrian knew he couldn't rely on his bullets forever. Depending too much on a tool in a big battle could easily backfire.

His priority now had to be mastering his weapon—and gaining real control over his sorcery.

'But what should I do?' He was thinking when suddenly he realized he had received a relic from Valor yesterday.

He took it out of the Time Chamber.

It was the handle of a blade.

There was no blade attached to it.

Just a rusty metal handle before him.

'Valor said to apply mana into it while being in an open space.' He wasn't sure how he was going to learn swordsmanship using this relic alone.

However, following his words, he first got out of the office and advanced towards the open field on the back side of the academy—the same place where Ariana fought more than a hundred monsters.

Pale moonlight illuminated the garden faintly as he held the relic tightly in his hand.

Taking a slow breath, Adrian channeled his mana into the handle.

At first, nothing happened.

Then, a faint hum.

The rusty handle trembled slightly in his hand—followed by a sudden flare of light that shot upward like a dying breath of flame. His eyes widened as the air before him shimmered.

A silhouette emerged—vague and flickering like a memory carved into the wind.

It was the image of a man.

He stood tall, wearing robes that fluttered in an invisible breeze. His face was hidden, but his posture radiated power. A ghostly blade formed in his grasp, lengthening from nothing, forged purely of energy and memory.

The figure stepped forward, slowly. Smoothly.

And then moved.

One step. One slash.

The motion was simple—deceptively so. A low, diagonal sweep of the sword, starting from the right hip and cutting upward.

But the space it carved through screamed.

The moonlight bent.

The grass flattened in a perfect arc. Trees lining the far edge of the field groaned, and one of them split down the middle with a muffled crack. A gust of wind, silent and clean, followed a moment later—like the aftershock of pressure.

Adrian's body… moved on its own.

His hand tightened around the handle.

His foot slid forward. His torso twisted.

And the next thing he knew, he had followed the exact same motion.

Mana surged uncontrollably through his body, spiraling into the relic. It felt like his arm was being dragged through the air by a force older than him, older than logic.

Then—

WHAAM.

A compressed wave of energy burst from the invisible arc of his swing.

A jagged tear split the field before him, carving deep into the earth, and the nearest tree—over ten meters away—exploded, shredded by the residual force.

Adrian stumbled back, chest heaving.

He stared at the scorched path stretching before him.

"What… was that?"

The relic in his hand pulsed softly, as if it had only just begun to awaken.

On its surface, faint glowing letters appeared in ancient script.

Stance I: Crescent Severance.

°°°°°°°°°

A/N:- Thanks for reading.