A white, spacious lab.
It was a private lab that he had gotten as part of his deal with Deos.
'A private lab, indeed. Look at this size and the equipment. There's a difference between what you see in the game and what you see in real life.
Thinking that I was right to poke around, I recalled the strange vibe I'd felt as I left the principal's office.
'I can't see it because I don't have an affinity for it, but I released my mana just in case....'
As I released my mana, I could feel something bounce off of it.
Deos couldn't hide his nefarious intentions, so he put a spirit on me to scare me.
If I hadn't known he was an Elementalist beforehand, I would have been stuck with his spirit.
"Now, let's get to work. Busy, busy, busy!
In the midst of all the tools and experimental equipment, I pulled out Nickel and Timur.
"What a mess."
Nickel's damage was pretty bad.
He had fought Hossan to the death, so unlike the other undead, he had a few spots that needed attention.
Perfect!
Nickel, whether he realized it or not, was still trying to swing his sword with one hand.
I guess the only good thing about being undead is that you don't feel pain no matter how damaged your body is.
"I'll fix it first.
Actually, after the battle with Hosan, there was some unexpected news.
Nickel and Timur's evolution.
[Sloth Phantom (Legendary) has a 32% chance of evolving].
[If they do evolve, there is only one branch].
[Do you want to evolve them?]
[88% chance of evolving Revenant Fighter (Legendary)]
[If evolved, one branch would exist].
[Do you want to evolve it?]
The nickel was only a 32% chance, so I decided to wait and see.
We hadn't yet seen what the consequences would be if we failed, so we weren't in a hurry and didn't want to risk it.
"Timur might work.
A normal Necromancer had limited options for making an object stronger once it was summoned.
At best, they could equip them.
But I could push its potential to the limit with the Evolutionary Trait, and once again, I was proud of myself for choosing it.
"Let's fix it."
I'll fix it and then evolve it, just in case.
I pulled Hosan's corpse out of the space expansion bag and got to work.
Having served under Karon for so long, rehabilitating the undead was an easy task.
It was something I'd done almost every day in my early days under Karon.
"I should have done it sooner, but the body is a bit decomposed.
Nickel's left arm was replaced with Hosan's, and all the broken or missing ribs were replaced.
Luckily, Timur's wounds were minor, and he hadn't lost any body parts like Nickel had.
The magically summoned undead slowly and automatically repaired themselves with my mana, unless they were seriously injured in the first place.
"Whoa."
I checked the time, and it was already getting late.
Considering I'd been here almost as soon as I left the principal's office, I'd spent about ten hours working.
It would have taken him several days if he hadn't had the experience.
"I'm surprisingly dexterous.
This is pretty much the only talent Adrias had before.
Not that it's anything to write home about.
"Now that the repairs are done, it's time for the long-awaited evolution."
Unfortunately, Nickel's evolution would have to wait.
A 32% chance was frankly too risky.
[Revenant Fighter (Legendary)]
[Evolving....]
[Time remaining: 342 hours, 28 minutes, 03 seconds]
That's 14 days and 6 hours.
Two weeks, maybe.
Timur scratched his body as if it was tickling him when I used Evolve, and it was as if he was actually alive.
He's reacting differently than Nickel.
'All that's left now is Lucia's medication and my appointment with Benjamin. Maybe a social next week.
There was a lot to take care of.
I almost wished I had two bodies, because I had to keep an eye on Kyler's potions getting out.
I thought to myself, "I can't help it. As long as I'm busy, I'm preparing for the future.
But she couldn't stop training herself.
Now that I've decided to stay at the Faculty of Magic, I need to learn not only earth-based magic, but also other types of magic.
* * *
Chris Yunor was the eldest grandson of the Marquis of Yunor, a renowned swordsman with a great deal of pride.
He had been training with the sword since he could walk, and at the age of 14, his father encouraged him to attend the Monas Academy.
"Your family's swordsmanship is deep. But it is a narrow well. You must learn the wider world.
Chris was proud of his family and its swordsmanship, but he couldn't go against his father.
He secretly believed that no swordsmanship was better than his family's.
Boom!
Louis defeated Chris!
How could he defeat Chris, a sword master?
But his pride was shattered not long after he entered the academy.
By a mere commoner who wasn't even from the same prestigious family.
"A mere commoner, a mere wretch with no family sword skills!
I felt so humiliated.
Even more infuriating was the fact that I had to admit defeat.
His uptight personality and judgment were hard, even on himself.
"Damn it.
From then on, Chris practiced with an intensity that gnawed at him.
Somehow, in some way, he had to redeem his tarnished honor and reputation.
Three years had passed.
He still couldn't beat Lewis.
Not only was he unable to defeat Louis, but he was losing sleep over Serena, who was closing in on him.
'What the hell am I supposed to do to beat him?
Three years at the Monas Academy.
She trained so hard that everyone around her knew she worked harder than anyone else.
Of course, some would say that resting is part of the training, but this restlessness made it hard to feel like resting.
With no other reason to attend Rodalen Academy, Chris followed Louis and Serena into the school, his anxiety driving him.
Thud!
As Chris took a break from lifting barbells that weigh more than most people would dare to move to improve his strength, a group of students chatting around him came up to him.
"Hey, Chris, are you done with your workout?"
"Uh, no. Not yet."
"Really? Is it something else, and did you hear the story?"
"What story."
"That Louis broke into the Ministry of Magic yesterday morning after class!"
"Hmm. Never mind."
With that said, the break was over, but Chris was still waiting, not lifting a barbell.
And the students who were talking followed suit, as if they were familiar with Chris's reaction.
"He said he went to visit someone who became famous at this tournament. Was it Adrias Cromwell? I didn't see him, the one with the magic and the sword."
Chris felt a flash of heat at the words.
How dare he dabble in this stuff, not just focus on swords!
He didn't like the fact that Louis, who'd been less and less willing to fight him lately, had gone looking for someone who was neither him nor me.
"But you know what's funny? He went up to him and asked to play, and this guy, Adrias, didn't even respond."
At that point, Chris jumped to his feet.
His sudden reaction caused the students who had been talking to him to ask urgently, "Chris?
"Chris, where are you going?"
"To the Ministry of Magic."
With that one word, he was gone.
* * *
After all the lectures were over, it was time to call it a day.
Serena was heading somewhere in a hurry, still reeling from the news that had come through earlier.
"You stupid thing!
The news was that Chris had suddenly broken into the Ministry of Magic.
She hadn't thought much of it, but when she heard that his target was Adrias Cromwell, she couldn't help but stop him.
For Chris, Lewis's presence was a love-hate relationship.
You'd think he'd be the one to tell the story of how he was ignored.
But....
'The Adrias I saw that day was....'
It was a wall that neither she nor Chris could cross.
Perhaps Chris can be so reckless because he didn't watch the tournament.
Chris's Yunor family and Serena's Erestrial family had been rivals for a long time.
They weren't exactly rivals, but they were childishly competitive with each other, and from the outside looking in, they seemed to be closer than any other family.
As such, Serena and Chris had grown up conscious of each other's presence from a young age.
Good rivals and friends.
That was their beginning.
"Though it's a little off now.
Even when Chris was proud of his family name, he wasn't the uptight person he is now.
He knew the honor of nobility and preached chivalry with the same restraint as any other nobleman.
But the great light he encountered at Monas Academy had turned him dark.
"He became dark, and he didn't smile like he used to. Just practicing, like he was possessed by something.
Darkness.
It was another word for solitude.
As Chris contemplated his solitude, he turned into a lone wolf.
A black wolf that rejected the approach of others and chased only the light.
Serena felt both pity and compassion for him.
Knowing his childhood, she felt even more so.
And it was because of that that she was able to stop him.
"Too late.
She pulled her tablet from her bosom and checked the news.
Luckily, his classmates had followed him and were texting Serena.
"We're at the Ministry of Magic, but we still haven't found Adrias!
Serena muttered worriedly as she checked her texts.
"Please...."
Adrias Cromwell's notoriety was legendary.
They say he's changed a bit now, but until last year, he was a scumbag with a broken personality.
If Chris was the first to confront him, he'd be expelled, or worse, break a bone somewhere and end up in the clinic.
It's early in the semester, and hospitalization would be devastating when every lecture counts.
Not to mention the loss of honor and reputation that Chris cares so much about.
While I was thinking about it, my phone updated with a new text.
"Serena, I beat you to it. Adrias is in the research wing of the Ministry of Magic. But I think Chris is coming this way, too. Stop him!
Just then, the train pulled into the grounds of the Ministry of Magic.
If I take the train to the research building, I'll be there before Chris, who's walking.
"This station is...."
The train finally arrived, and Serena got off and looked around.
She immediately spotted Chris.
"Chris!"
Chris's head snapped up at Serena's shout.
He looked at her, a little surprised.
"Why are you here?"
"Why am I here, I came for you!"
Serena breathed a sigh of relief and walked over to Chris.
Along with the relief, she felt a pang at the thought of what she was going to have to do to convince Chris.
"Kris. You're here to find Mr. Adrias, right? Come on, let's just go back."
"I don't know where you heard this, but it's none of your business. Go home."
Just then, a stranger's voice came from a direction.
"You came for me?"
A chill ran down her spine, and she turned to see Adrias Cromwell walking toward her in the distance.
Gone was the beastly aura and feral grin she'd seen in the arena, replaced by a man with a cold, icy expression as he stared coldly at her and Chris.
"Are you Adrias Cromwell?"
Chris asked, and Adrias looked at him as if to say, "What the hell are you doing?
Then he said.
"You're the freshman, aren't you? You're the one who ate the rice rolls for cheap, senior?"
As expected, the Adrias of rumor was not his usual self.
Chris's brow narrowed at Adrias's insistence on addressing him by his first name.
"I have no intention of giving seniority to anyone weaker than me."
"Chris!"
Serena felt like she was going to lose her mind at the increasingly serious tone.
This stupid crab doesn't even know the subject!
And then Adrias, hearing her words, grinned eerily.
"There was another Knighthood kid at the tournament who said that to me."
Adrias suddenly snapped his head, making a bone-crunching sound, and looked at Chris and Serena.
"Looks like he came looking for me...."
Adrias's aura invaded his surroundings.
Serena and Chris flinched at the sticky, dark aura.
"I'll do what you want. Rampage."