Chapter 372
Liana had changed.
It was inevitable, given the circumstances. Liana had been someone who wasted time aimlessly, but she was also an incredibly powerful Supernatural who grew stronger on her own.
She had power but had never really thought about using it in her daily life. However, in the face of her current situation, Liana was grateful for the strength she had accumulated during her seemingly wasted time and was sincerely working hard to hone her abilities.
In addition to training her Supernatural powers, she was also focusing on physical training, something she had always despised and avoided. In this regard, Cliff was the one helping her.
Ultimately, it was not within my power to stop Liana from seeking revenge on her enemies.
So, who should be the true target of Liana's vengeance?
Owen de Gatmora, who had secretly conspired within the revolutionary forces and betrayed them at the critical moment?
Shanafel and Saviolin Turner, who were likely to have executed the operation?
Bertus, the mastermind behind it all?
Or the Emperor who endorsed the plan?
Or, after all this, was it me, who had set off the chain of events that led to this entire situation?
I didn't know which direction Liana's vengeful blade should truly point.
It seemed unfair if I were the one to bear the brunt of it, but when I thought about it carefully, perhaps it wasn't so unfair after all. It was a thought mixed with resignation.
Liana pursued strength.
More than anyone among us, she desired and longed for it fervently.
Thus, the remaining days of the winter break passed by.
And I had to truly prepare.
Prepare to become everyone's enemy.
That moment was fast approaching.
[Achievement Points: 17,730]
Up until now, I hadn't needed to use them for anything in particular, and I had been saving them like emergency funds, just in case something significant happened. The most recent use of my points was to enhance my word magic ability to create a significant opening for Riverrier Lanze during the incident.
By strengthening my word magic, I restrained his movements and stabbed the Tiamata, which had transformed into a demon sword, into his heart. Since then, I had become the true master of Tiamata, and it could freely transform into a holy sword or a demon sword according to my will.
Achievement points had always been a powerful weapon for me, as they could create significant variables.
There were quite a few things I could do with the remaining achievement points.
With 8,000 points, I could unlock my fourth talent.
My current talents were self-suggestion, Word Magic, and magic control.
[Swordsmanship - 8,000 points]
To become a master class, I needed a talent related to combat, but my self-suggestion talent already functioned in that regard. However, acquiring a talent in swordsmanship wouldn't be a bad idea.
Gaining swordsmanship would speed up my journey to the master class.
Upon using 8,000 achievement points, I would be left with 9,000 points. To awaken my fifth talent, I would need 16,000 points, so I would require an additional 7,000 points to awaken it.
However, I am currently torn between two talents.
[Swordsmanship - 8,000 points]
[Supernatural Resistance - 8,000 points]
I might need resistance against Supernatural powers.
With my sacred spirit, I am virtually immune to mental magic, and while I will need anti-magic resistance, that can be trained.
However, Supernatural powers are impossible to resist.
If my true identity is discovered, countless people will become my enemies.
This would likely include Liana de Grantz. Her electric powers have become significantly more potent through her awakening.
Of course, Liana's resistance can be somewhat managed with the defensive abilities that arise from my Magic Body Strengthening. However, with Supernatural resistance, I could be relatively safe from not only Liana but also other existing Supernaturals.
And the real problem is not Liana.
Scarlett.
Scarlet's immunity power completely neutralizes me. In the face of her power, which nullifies Supernatural powers within a range, I can't use self-suggestion or word magic.
People have already seen Scarlett's power neutralize me during the tournament. If my identity as the Demon King is revealed and a fight ensues, my truly dangerous enemy will not be Ellen but Scarlett.
If Scarlett's immunity power is classified as Supernatural, can I counter it with Supernatural resistance?
Even if it's not, I can make it possible.
[Additional Setting]
Though I have never used it, I can add a setting that allows me to resist Scarlett's immunity power with Supernatural resistance.
However, in this case, there's a drawback of having to spend a considerable amount of achievement points to deal with only Scarlet. It's not like I absolutely have to fight Scarlet. In this case, it would be a waste of points. 𝙗𝙚𝙙𝒏𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡．𝙣𝒆𝙩
Achievement points are saved to be used when needed, not to be rendered useless.
Should I secure a talent related to martial arts to reach the Master Class more quickly?
Or should I acquire Supernatural resistance to pursue more stability?
My contemplation did not last long.
[I will use 8,000 achievement points.]
[I have acquired the talent 'Swordsmanship.']
As long as it's not urgent, I will pursue versatility.
My talents now include Swordsmanship, Magic Control, Self-suggestion, and Word Magic.
I have met the optimal conditions to become a Master Class.
The remaining achievement points are 9,730.
I would like to keep this amount as a reserve for emergencies.
[Supernatural Resistance - 16,000 points]
I would have liked to have Supernatural resistance as a talent in case of unforeseen situations.
I had been holding back, thinking that having too many talents might raise suspicion.
Maybe Supernatural resistance was the better choice...?
Once consumed, a talent cannot be returned.
Having spent a large portion of my achievement points, it's now time to accumulate them again.
I wasn't sure if it was the right time for this, but in the end, achievement points were more important to me than money.
Achievement points were the only ability that could interfere with the world. And at this moment, the only way to obtain achievement points was through challenges.
Of course, the challenge list was updated periodically.
[Challenge List]
[Discover the true identity of Akasha - 50,000 points]
[Find Cantus Magna - 30,000 points]
The top two challenges coincided with my goals. These would not disappear anytime soon.
At first, absurd challenges like slapping the emperor dominated the top of the list, but now, more serious challenges offered substantial achievement point rewards.
It seemed that it was no longer a time for jokes.
Or so I thought.
[Come out to classmates (Cross-dressing contest) - 5,000 points]
[Date with Bertus while cross-dressing - 4,000 points]
[Date with Kono Lint while cross-dressing - 4,000 points]
[Date with someone while cross-dressing - 2,000 points]
[Cross-dressing…….]
[Cross-dressing! - 500 points]
"…"
Well, that was unexpected.
Were they going to milk this until I died?
I decided to forget about achievement points for a while.
Ever since my eyes had been blinded by achievement points and I had participated in the cross-dressing contest, I had no intention of doing anything else with them. The snowball effect of embarrassment was too much.
I couldn't rule out the possibility of more problems arising, and they already had.
Just because I had acquired swordsmanship talent didn't mean my sword skills had miraculously improved. Up until now, I had mostly relied on my existing specs.
An absolute difference in skill.
Purely in terms of swordsmanship, I was inferior to Cliffman, Scarlett, and Ludwig. Ellen didn't even need to be mentioned. I was still lagging even with all my efforts.
The reason I could gain an advantage over them was due to my self-suggestion and the ability to use Magic Body Strengthening.
So my style was to push through the difference in skill with overwhelming physical strength.
But now that I had acquired swordsmanship talent, I was granted a future where I could excel in pure skill itself.
In the end, I focused on training amidst a situation where gradual change was happening a little faster than dramatic change.
One day, Ellen, Cliffman, and I were gathered closely in the training grounds.
"…You think I'm too weak?"
"Yeah."
Cliffman had come to Ellen and me with a serious expression, asking for advice.
"I did say I'd help, but… as you can see, it's difficult to say this, but… Liana's Supernatural abilities were already strong…"
"And now they're even stronger."
"Exactly."
Liana's Supernatural abilities had become extremely powerful after an unwanted awakening, and they were growing stronger. The trigger was the death of her father and her anger and regret, but as a result, Liana had indeed become stronger.
And Cliffman wanted to help Liana in her quest for revenge.
Nevertheless.
"I'm afraid that if such a battle really happened, I wouldn't be of any help..."
Cliffman thought of himself as useless.
How come he...
Why can't he escape this kind of pathetic state?
If you think about whether Cliffman is strong or not in a general sense, he belongs to the monster category.
However.
The ones he's seeking advice from are Ellen and me.
There's no need to mention Ellen, and I've already gone beyond the path of normalcy, transcending even the monster's orbit.
In other words.
If there are beings like divine beings among the royal class of monsters, it would be Ellen and me. Although this is said in terms of growth rate rather than actual strength.
Moreover, the one who had vowed to fight alongside us was originally an incredibly powerful Supernatural, but his abilities suddenly exploded in growth this time.
So, Cliffman, who is not divine but could be considered heavenly, feels that his bowl seems infinitely small because the comparison is overwhelmingly strong.
"Shouldn't I be able to do Magic Body Strengthening as well..."
No, this is.
You're not supposed to realize that in the first year. Ellen couldn't do it in her first year either. The situation was just bizarre, and she awakened too early. In fact, she had a nosebleed, and I fainted for a few days, right?
But it's just that the grass looks greener on the other side, and he has reached a level where he thinks he's a sparrow when he's actually a swan.
It's clear that he fell into the imagination that when Liana really has to fight, he might be a hindrance and should just sulk. And if a fight happens right now, there's a high probability that it would happen.
As always, Ellen looked at Cliffman indifferently.
"Don't think too hastily. There's no need to be in such a hurry."
And calmly consoling him is one of Ellen's strengths.
"We never know what will happen. The Demon King might attack the temple anytime, thinking it could threaten them now or later."
Um...
If the Demon King really wants the destruction of mankind and desires a demonic war, that could happen.
But I'm telling you, it's not me!
I'm here with you guys!
Is this what it feels like when you say you're about to explode?
"...You're right."
The problem was that it sounded credible.
The recent demonic attack disguised as an incident has led to various misunderstandings about demonic forces.
Not only the powerful demons that have been operating so far, but people also came to believe that orcs, ogres, and other demonic creatures exist under the command of the Demon King.
People's imaginations added that they already had a considerable military force.
There are questions about why the demons attacked that place, but as Bertus intended, people were engulfed in fear of demons. Not many questioned the true reason.
To be precise, people understood that the intention was to attack the capital Rajeurn of the small country Levaina, but the merchant guild branch on the outskirts was unfortunately attacked instead.
Soon.
The fear of not knowing when and where the touch of the Demon King might reach lay dormant in everyone's hearts, and this was no exception for Clifman.
And.
The temple where the talents who could be called the future of the empire slept was, in the minds of humans, the highest priority for an attack.
Even among those, the royal class.
It was the first place to suppress in order to shatter the empire's future, which the Demon King dreamt of dominating.
Clifman's anxiety about still being too weak in the face of an unknown danger held persuasive power regardless of my actual intentions.
To be precise, he was too weak compared to Liana.
"So, I'm thinking of focusing on magic sensitivity training for now. Could you help me with that?"
"We've already done that."
"…It just didn't have any effect."
"Still…"
It seemed Clifman had determined that if he couldn't succeed in Magic Body Strengthening, he couldn't even begin.
However, Ellen and I had been teaching Clifman how to do Magic Body Strengthening at every opportunity.
I had somehow managed to awaken my abilities, but Clifman was still at a standstill.
It wasn't a training he had done before, so how could he miraculously awaken his ability of Magic Body Strengthening by focusing on it? Such a thing was impossible.
"I understand what you're thinking, but among the first-year students, only Liana and I can do Magic Body Strengthening. And it's awkward to say this, but we're the unusual ones. There are even seniors who still haven't grasped it. If you rush too much, you might even destroy your magic circuit, causing more severe aftereffects…"
"There's one more person now."
Clifman cut me off in the middle of my sentence.
"What do you mean, one more person?"
"A person who can do Magic Body Strengthening."
Clifman pointed somewhere.
It was unmistakably in the direction of the Class B dormitory.
"Ludwig."
What?
The protagonist, this bastard.
When did he pull a fast one without me knowing?