Magnus Lynton
After grabbing some food for Ava, we decided to book a hotel using the Sovereign Association's funds. Previously, we lived in a modest apartment, funded by my income from assassinations and rewards from clearing Doors.
As I glanced down at my body, it dawned on me that Alice must have given me a significant amount of Space blood—I felt lighter even before I got injured. Strangely, I hadn't collapsed like the first time I consumed it. Nari's influence must be at play here; after all, I was in her spiritual realm.
"Brother, I finished my shower, so it's your turn now," Ava called out, emerging from the bathroom and breaking my thoughts.
***
After my shower, I checked my phone and saw three notifications. The first one was from Nari: a sticker of a white cat wearing glasses, saying, "I will be waiting." I was surprised to see the usually serious Nari sending stickers, but I replied with a sticker saying, "Yes Ma'am."
The second message was from the Ascender Association, offering me a spot on a team clearing a B-rank Door tomorrow. This reminded me that, despite my encounters with the Sovereign of Mirage and the Sovereign of Wisdom, I was still seen as a mere porter. Oh well, I thought. It's amusing to conceal my true power from other ascenders, and I do want to test the skills Nari taught me.
The last message was from... Sarah. Oh my god, I forgot about Sarah. Speaking of which, I forgot to thank Alice for saving me and my sister! How could I be so rude? I decided to open the message:
"Hi, Magnus! I hope you and your sister are feeling well.... What happened this morning was quite disturbing. Anyway, I heard from the Sovereign of Wisdom that you're feeling better now, and I was wondering if you'd like to join me in clearing an A-rank Door tomorrow? :))"
I was surprised. An A-rank Door... the second-deadliest type there is. Even though I wanted to test my skills, an A-rank seemed daunting. I decided to reply:
"Hi, Sarah! Thank you for your concern. My sister and I are doing okay now, thanks to you and Alice. I'd love to join you, but can I ask how many people will be clearing the Door?"
As soon as I hit 'send,' Sarah started typing. Not even seven seconds later, she replied:
"I'm glad to hear you're doing well! The raid will have only three people (if you join, of course)."
I was shocked. Three people for a high-rank Door? What was Sarah thinking? Was this a death wish? It's not like one of the top Sovereigns would join us—
*Ping*
"Oh, I forgot~ the third person will be my master, Alice. She was the one who told me to invite you since you and she haven't talked."
Oh... I hope she isn't mad about me not thanking her.
"Oh, okay, I was surprised for a moment lol. I think I'll be free tomorrow, so I'll be there!"
"Yay! See you there then <3"
An A-rank raid will be fun... and educational, considering that one of the top three Sovereigns will be joining us. Lost in thought, I walked out of the bathroom, only to meet Ava's wide-eyed stare.
"AH, BROTHER, WHY ARE YOU HALF NAKED?" Ava screamed, covering her eyes with her hands. Suddenly, a purple beam shot from her right hand.
Instincts took over, and I opened a portal in front of me, redirecting the beam away. My first thought was to send it back to the opponent, but since it was my sister, I decided to store it instead. She still hasn't controlled her power, I see...
"My bad, Ava. Let me change quickly. You go ahead and sleep," I said, watching Ava grumble as she headed to bed.
It's been a long day, I thought as I changed into my pajamas and lay down. Tomorrow, I need to bring a gift of gratitude for Alice, I thought before drifting into the Lone Dream.
***
As I opened my eyes, I was greeted by the familiar sight of space. Golden lights began to form, and soon my master stood before me.
"Hello Magnus, how's it going?" Xavier asked.
"I'm fine. Now, let's get to the point. Why didn't my mana-infused eyes work against the Sovereign of Mirage?" I asked directly, the question nagging at me.
"Wow, straight to business, huh? Well, it is what it is. Infuse your eyes with mana for me," Xavier instructed.
As I channeled mana into my eyes, everything around me became clearer. A slight blink from Xavier caught my attention, and my eyes locked onto him before he could fully blink.
"Hmm, I see. You've reached stage 2 of mana eyes. Impressive," Xavier noted, nodding.
"Stage 2? What do you mean?" I asked, curious. This was the first time I had heard of stages for mana eyes.
"Tell me, Magnus, when you use your mana eyes, can you see through walls? Do your eyes track faster?" Xavier asked, circling me.
I recalled using my mana eyes to see through the walls of my house and spotting the intruders, even catching a glimpse of Maximus.
"Yes, and I managed to see Maximus briefly when he was hiding in my house," I explained.
"Yes, that's stage 2 of mana eyes. The stages are as follows: The first stage lets you see through normal illusions. The second stage allows you to see through walls for a while. The third stage lets you see through more complex illusions. The fourth stage enables you to focus your vision and zoom in on specific points. The final stage grants the ability to see into the future for up to four seconds," Xavier explained.
"So, I need to reach stage 3 to see through Maximus's illusions?" I asked for confirmation.
"Yes, and I assure you, once you achieve stage 3, defeating Maximus will be easier than dealing with a C-rank ascender. Maximus without his illusions is like a swordsman without a sword," Xavier said, smiling as if recalling a fond memory.
"I see... How do I advance stages?" I inquired.
"It's simple. It all comes down to experience. The more you use your mana eyes, the more familiar you become with them, leading to advancements in stages."
"I see. Thank you for explaining. I need to catch up on some sleep after this long day, so I'll see you—Oh right! I was told someone gave me Space blood, and it felt like quite a substantial amount," I said, winking.
"Ah, yes, of course. I almost forgot. Give me a moment." Xavier opened a golden board in front of me, revealing:
[Awakened - Portal Entrapment]
[Skill Upgrade - Portal Creation (2 -> 5)]
[Skill Upgrade - Lone Dream (System)]
"Only one new skill... Oh well, at least I can now create five portals. Wait, what is Lone Dream System?" I asked.
"Well, it's like this but in real life, just not a room like this. It's like, uh, a system. Ever read those books about systems and stuff? Kind of like that. It shows your abilities' information and also lets me communicate with you in real life."
"Cool," I said. "Can't wait to try out Portal Entrapment tomorrow."
"Tomorrow? Why not now?" Xavier said with a smug grin as he summoned an orc.
"What the—" Before I could say anything, the orc charged at me.
Reacting quickly, I used Portal Entrapment. Immediately, six small portals formed a box around the orc, trapping it. The orc looked confused as it pounded on the box with all its might.
"Useful... but the box is starting to break," I thought.
"The more you concentrate, the larger and stronger it becomes, just like your regular portals," Xavier explained.
I decided to end the orc's struggle by creating a portal over its head and closing it.
"Wha—did you just learn a new skill?" Xavier asked, genuinely surprised.
"Yeah, I met the Sovereign of Wisdom today and she and I found out that my portal was sharp," I explained.
"So you met Nari..." Xavier noted.
"Speaking of which, how did you summon the orc?" I started to get curious as this reminded me of Nari's spiritual realm.
"Oh, so you were in Nari's spiritual realm, weren't you?" Xavier asked.
"How did you know?" I asked, actually surprised as I didn't tell Xavier about me being in Nari's realm.
"Well, Nari kind of has this habit of taking her guests into her spiritual realm and showing her skills off," Xavier said, scratching his golden head.
"I see... answer my question?"
"Ahh yes... I don't know why but it is fun. I mean what would I do in the mean time when you are not in here?" Xavier said matter of factly.
"Hmm that's true... wait what do you do in your free time?" I started to get curious.
"Well, I would spawn a TV and some food and enjoy some shows of course."
Wow... that is such a good life.
"Anyways, thanks for today Xavier, I will get back to you when something happens," I said as I wanted to get some actual sleep. Of course, being inside Lone Dream makes me feel refreshed when I wake up but sleeping just has its merit.
"See you then my disciple," Xavier said smiling.
I then went back to reality and fell into slumber immediately.