"Thanks for the meal! Kieek! On second thought im not that hungry..." Garry pushed away the bowl of abomination given to him personally by Lilla
"Yeah, this is usually the normal elven cuisine, Aguatox saerac. Soup dashed with elmrok leaf which made the basis of the taste and top it off with Aguatox. A lizard born in the elven forest, commonly called the slime lizard for every organ containing a gooey texture. The smell is quite horrendous but the nutritional values are real," As Lilla explained Garry saw the twins hurling from the back and Godfrey trembling from the ground
"No, I know you mean well but no! I rather die, than eat that. You can't even call that food, I'll just ask Mr. Fritz for some fruits, I'll be at the library,"
Godfrey stands on his feet once more and said to Garry who was about to leave. "Where's Maximilian?"
"He quit– Oh gross! The sink is so close why didn't you hurl it there?"
He left with such a disgusted feeling after witnessing Godfrey hurl as he smells the abomination that grew ever so despicable. The moment it melted in Godfrey's stomach further enhances its odor and, the kitchen was filled to the brim with its stench. He escapes in time before he'd ever pass out and retreated to the library where he met a sentient tree reclining on a stool
[Librarian: Oakulaid]
"Oh my now, who do we have here? Young lord what should this ancient hunk of wood may help you with? Are you in need of history text, maybe Elven trivia, or we could begin again with our lesson on magical beasts?" The treant was delighted in his appearance and gave him a seat on the floating shelves above and those below
"Not today Mr. Oak, im just here to get a book. Do you have something related to Gammadreil–"
Oak cut him off before placing a cup of tea beside his table. "Oh please call me Oak, we don't need to be formal here, you're the disciple of our esteemed lord. Not a million years would I ever ask you to be formal against someone of my stature, im just a servant. Oh dear, I did it again. Why were you here again young master Kettle?"
"A book about Gammadreil string please!" The treant raised his hand to grab a book from one of the floating shelves guarded with severe and painful measures
Garry saw the descent of a singular book collecting piles of dust and Oakulaid blew the filth to reveal its cover. "Gammadreil pattern by Zachary Miles... tell me if I'm mistaken, but you're not here for a history lesson? The young master requires a clue in tweaking his strings. Fret not, this book has it all, Gammadreil might have discovered the strings but he is nowhere closer to Zachary,"
Garry was then granted permission in taking the book from the library after receiving the word of Oakulaid. "Finally I have my hands on something, if Mr. Fritz came asking you where I am, tell him im in my room. I need some time alone so you can lie to them about my whereabouts until dinner. Catch you later then,"
"Good luck to you as well lord Garry," He waves his trunk and slowly returns to his seat as usual
'The lord did choose quite a reckless young lad, to think I lost the bet, the lord sure has an eye for people. It scares me how those two are so alike, it feels like im seeing double, anyway im full of worry. But just as I promise I wouldn't intervene, it's up to the young lord if he dares take that path, everyone knows of Zachary's death. His ways of aligning were great but at the cost of his own life, he didn't have the body fit,'
The doors leading to the library and its only exit opened and the green skin geezer match forth and raise a question. "Oakulaid have you seen the young master? His temporary caretakers alerted me of him missing his evening meal. You don't happen to be conspiring with him, right?"
Oak didn't flinch and coldly replied. "Why would I do such a thing? Fritz, do you know who you're talking to? It's me, Oakulaid. Just what reason would I have to endanger our lord? Now your distrusting me? At least we both know why you haven't found any lover, if you're that doubtful then no woman would–"
Fritz slammed the door shut and withdrew immediately before he caught up in another one of Oak's truth bombs
'How rude! This is the reason why the two of us never get along. Now where was I? Ok right, compared to Master Kettle, Zachary was missing something that the young master has. A body capable of handling that extreme surge of power instantly, he did get his body healed and fortified. The question is will he be able to endure the pain that will come about from his immediate advancement?'
At the highest level of the castle lies Young Kettle's room completely guarded by moving armor and only he has access. Not even the servants dare approach for the lord of the house himself announce the dangers of anyone aside from his disciple. He closed the curtains and lit a candle and sat in the center of the dark with the book held in his palms
'Okay, so the first thing in Zachary's text is the study of an unorthodox art of the medicine tree, the study of acupuncture. Stimulating the nerve points it'll affect anyone either by stopping blood flow, adjusting the body's condition, etc. These nerve points are deeply rooted in one's physiology that these nerves even affect the Gammadreil string,'
"Thornus impaeilou," He conjured dozens of metallic needles into his grasp and he saw the difference in his condition
'I'm slower than usual... even conjuring a flame takes five seconds before it occurs. If this was my condition when facing Umbler then im good as dead. But who knew that spell of hers was that common, and yet her power was incredible, I have a long way to go. Now that I've been given a brand new life as a nobody to a disciple of some prominent mage then I need to better suit my standing,'
"Exerus Railius," His eyes glimmered and turned full white whereas his vision seemingly enhances further until he sees his bone
'The book says something about the pain will become more and more intense per successful needle puncture. It also says that the progress will be reset if there came to be a mistake and in the worst cases lead to the persons undoing. How child-friendly this book truly is, they chose 'Undoing' instead of spelling it out as death as simple as that,'
"Here's to the first needle–" Upon impact the needle effect takes a drastic turn for the worst when an eruption came forth in his arm
His body trembled but his mind remains in opposition once he felt the freely flowing mana in his flesh. "Kieek! Incredible, the stimulation is a hundred times worst than the fixer. No wonder they gave me that rather than doing this, Lilla might have been the few who disagreed. She's the only one who knows her way in and out of someones body, and I remember her treating me with acupuncture,"
Unbeknownst to Garry there was a flaw in Zachary's book, his theory was spot on but one thing made the difference. The next needle will have its outburst multiplied by twice the amount of damage he'd previously take and only understood after the second shot. His voice cried out loud but no one came to hear since he was stationed at the top and a place where servants are prohibited
"Bluargh!"
He vomited and his body lost its strength to the pain he took permeated through his very veins but his hand grab a needle once more. "I can't stop now– Uaggggghhhhhhh! This is nothing I just need to– Grrhhhhhh!! I need some cloth, biting on something tends to make it less painful– Hmmmmmmp!!!"
Garry had no thought of stopping not even once did he ever think of turning back from where he started. Each needle fueled him with the strength to pierce another and then another, the reality of this world will never accept him. Maximilian's words pierce directly through his ego breaking it down whereas humbling himself and enduring the pain
'Adult my ass. Everyone thought I had it rough even I believe it to be true. But it's all a lie, it doesn't compare to this, all my hardships those fuckers praised. They can't compare to this, I need to make it big, statuses here are nothing more than secondary power. What I need is power, not by name, not wealth, and most of all from a weapon. I want power that no one can ever steal as I live and breathe, a power that only I can wield, and because of that I want to true power!!!'
Garry's cry of desire flowed by dragging the last needle with both of his hands directly through his chest. If he was too close it would've been his death and if the needle was far then all his pain and suffering were all for not. He precisely drove the needle with the aid of the spell and manages to conclude his grind and the final surge came forth
"Come at me!!!"
His body lit up and came forth the final explosion which stir the castle in its rumbling and Garry lost consciousness. It was a vague dream but he saw his body at the center of what seemed to be monsters eyeing him from above. Each of these figures points either a claw, tentacle, or even a paw and he awakens to hear a knock on his door
"Garry open this door right this instant!!!" Lilla's ferocious groaning grew ever so intimidating and at her back were cries of worry from the rest