7th Ring, House of Alchemist...
Underground Lab, 4th Floor.
"The power and skill he used, it surpassed even that of the witch girl, and with ten times the potency," spoke the girl wearing glasses. Her green hair, emerald eyes, cute face, and fair complexion gave her an alluring appearance.
Her body boasted curves that surpassed any other girl, with a remarkably ample backside, large breasts, and a slim waist.
"Was that a spirit animal like you, Gior?" she inquired, her gaze shifting to the bird perched on her right shoulder.
"Yes, but he is exceptionally strong, and his master is even more formidable," replied the bird.
"Oh, really?"
"Why this sudden interest in him?" the bird inquired.
"My father intends to propose me to him tomorrow," she revealed.
"What?" exclaimed the bird, a mix of confusion and surprise evident in its voice.
"Yes. He believes I am nothing but a burden to the family and useless in this lab, so he plans to use my body to gain favor with him," she explained.
"Will you marry him then?" the bird asked.
"No, I will kill him."
"You can't. He is far too powerful for you. You've spent your life in this lab, while he knows how to fight in the wild," the bird cautioned.
"Well, we shall see if he can withstand my poison. Hehehe," she declared, picking up a test tube filled with a green liquid from the table, her laughter carrying a sinister edge.
Academy...
The atmosphere within the academy was ablaze with discussion about Anon. Both commoners and nobles were filled with excitement and trepidation.
Anon emerged victorious in the second round after Samantha fell unconscious.
He continued his winning streak in the third and fourth rounds, effortlessly defeating two six-star noble students.
Jake withdrew from the competition upon witnessing Samantha being saved by his mother.
Now, only Ren and Frank remained for the last two rounds.
Anon was brought back to the academy, skipping one kingdom.
Upon Anon's return, the commoner students regarded him with newfound admiration.
"Anon, you were extraordinary, brother!"
"Master Anon, please take me as your disciple."
"Me too, Master Anon."
Some desired to be his disciples, while others sought to become his spouses.
"Anon, marry me. I will take care of you for the rest of your life," a girl from his class proposed.
"Anon, marry me too. I will fulfill your every desire in the bedroom."
"Anon, impregnate me with your children. I will care for them and you."
The girls went wild, recognizing Anon's potential to become a prominent figure in the future.
Following today's incident, numerous Archmages would vie for the opportunity to take him as their disciple. This was why they yearned to marry him and build a life together.
Seti's Office...
Seti sat at her desk, her hand pressed against her temples. Frank and Ren stood before her, wearing neutral expressions.
Tension etched Seti's face as she flipped through the pages of a book detailing Anon's history.
"Born in this kingdom, his father was a knight who, due to heavy drinking and drug use, was dismissed from his post. He began anew as a farmer on the outskirts.
At the age of 34, he had a son named Anon with a girl named Jill.
Jill died under mysterious circumstances, and he remarried a woman named Freya, who had three daughters.
Fifteen years later, Anon's father acquired a house on the outskirts, only to die under suspicious circumstances, presumably at the hands of Freya, who coveted the property.
After a few months, this commoner appears for the scholarship tests, defeating all participants in the 21-year-old category.
Weeks later, he enters our academy and shakes things up completely—breaking the javelin throw record, destroying the Immortal dummy, and now he stands on the verge of winning the most perilous race in the human kingdom.
Is this some sort of joke? A commoner with no background achieving such feats? It's impossible. Someone is supporting him, but who remains unknown.
What we do know is that we must prevent him from winning this race, or our reputation will become a laughingstock for future generations.
I have already lost three blank mana contracts, and I am boiling with anger. So, who will face him in the next round?" Seti inquired.
Frank raised his hand suddenly.
"Yes, Frank. Do you wish to go next? Explain your plan to me first—"
"I want to withdraw," Frank declared.
"What? Are you kidding me?" Seti asked, her face expressing surprise.
"Yes, I cannot compete against him. What if he uses the same spell he used on Samantha to kill me?" Frank spoke, though it was merely an excuse to display his respect for Anon.
"Frank, he cannot kill a seven-star noble. At the end of the day, he is still just a commoner. He fears us," Seti stated confidently.
"Yeah, when it comes to raw power, it matters not whether one is a noble or a commoner," Frank thought, chuckling softly.
"I'm out of this," Frank declared as he left the room.
"You are a disappointment to your family name," Seti muttered in a low tone.
"I heard that," Frank replied from outside the room as he walked back to the academy grounds, settling far behind Anon.
"I withdrew from the race," Frank informed him.
"I didn't ask you to," Anon replied.
"Well, I dislike seeing myself lose to someone, so I quit a match I knew I couldn't win," Frank said, a smile playing on his lips.
"We had a deal. Where is your mother?" Anon inquired.
"Ah, right. Here," Frank responded, producing a slave contract from his pocket.
"What is this?" Anon questioned.
"My mother's slave contract. She opposed my decision and attempted suicide, so I made her my slave. She will arrive at your house by morning," Frank explained, handing the contract to Anon.
"Good job. Your brothers will meet their end tonight. I've dispatched Mike. Just prepare a large glass case to display their severed heads."
As soon as Anon's voice reached Frank's ears, a smile spread across his face.
"I'll go and prepare some more slave contracts then," Frank said, rising from his seat and walking away.
Anon smiled, satisfied with the response, as he watched Frank depart.
Growing bored, Anon retrieved a cigar from his inventory and prepared to light it. But before he could take a puff, a hand snatched the cigar from his mouth brutally.
"You're not allowed to smoke inside the academy, Commoner," a voice admonished.
Anger surged through Anon. His eyes turned red, and his head throbbed with rage and veins popped up. He had this sudden urge to sever the hand from its owner with one blow.
Yet, a woman's scent wafted to his nose, calming his tumultuous emotions. Anon regained control and looked up, a smile playing on his lips.
To his surprise, he beheld a woman with purple hair and matching eyes. Her beauty captivated him—
the medium-sized eyes, the slender nose, and the small mouth. A mole adorned her chin, and her fair skin radiated a soft glow. Her figure boasted medium-sized breasts and a shapely derriere.
She looked like a fairy from the fairytales.
Anon felt an inexplicable attraction towards her, a blossoming of love in his heart. He never felt something similar before.
"What is this feeling?" Anon pondered, his gaze fixed on the girl.
Suddenly, the demon crest on Anon's hand began to shine bright golden and heat started generating on it, suddenly a message materialized before him.
[Opponent has used a hidden skill (Charm).]
[You are under the effect of hidden skill(Charm).]
[Hidden skill (Charm) has been found and nullified due to class Cerebraxis.]
All the emotions flooding Anon's heart vanished instantly. He felt nothing towards the girl anymore and anger again surged in his mind but he controlled it again.
"Isn't she Lui from the SMG?" a student remarked, eyeing the girl.
"You mean from the Student Management Group?" another student inquired.
"They say she can make Commoner boys dance like dogs without even touching them, as a punishment for breaking academy rules."
Anon listened attentively, piecing together how she had made the boys dance.
'So, you're playing games with the shark in the water, huh ? You dare use a mind control skill on me ? Now pay the fucking price girl.' Anon thought, chuckling to himself.
"Oh, you think this is funny, huh?" the girl snapped, her expression one of fury.
Anon decided to play along and spoke, mesmerized, "You look so beautiful."
"Really?" the girl responded, a smile gracing her face.
[I thought my skill wouldn't work on him, but it did. Now I have another dog for my collection. Let me show you where you stand, Anon. Defeating my charm is impossible, even if you've defeated many nobles before. I will make you dance like a fucking dog.]
Unbeknownst to her, Anon heard every thought she had.
A sly smirk emerged on his face.
"Stand up," she commanded as she backed off a bit.
"Yes," Anon complied, playing his part.
"Now, get on all fours and spin around three times. Then, bark like a dog three times," she ordered.
Anon's expression shifted, his smile widening, and his eyes gleaming with vibrant purple.
Lui's eyes briefly shimmered purple before returning to normal.
'Give me the cigar,' Anon commanded silently.
Lui promptly handed the cigar back to Anon, her face devoid of expression.
'Now do as you ordered me a moment ago.'
"Yes," Lui replied, dropping to all fours. Her pink panties were exposed to the onlooking students.
She spun on the ground like a subservient pup, completing the action three times.
Bark Bark Bark
She barked like a bitch, shaking her ass as she looked at Anon.
"Good," Anon said, patting her head.
"Huh...?" Lui suddenly realized what she had done, scrambling to her feet.
"You—you, I'll deal with you later. Sob-Sob," she stammered, tears streaming down her face as she ran away.
"Just remember, who started it," Anon retorted, once again placing the cigar between his lips and igniting a fireball on his middle finger to light it.
"Anon, forget about it. You can't smoke inside the academy, or they'll disqualify you for doping," Letti chimed in, appearing from behind.
"What nonsense? I smoked one in Eldoria," Anon replied.
"Yeah, because you were in Eldoria then. Now you're in the academy, so no smoking. I don't want to lose this round due to some stupid reason," Letti explained.
"Fine, if you say so," Anon acquiesced, crushing the lit cigar beneath his foot.
"Now, what's the plan?" Anon inquired.
Just as he spoke, Seti and Ren arrived on the scene.
"Frank quit the race, and they're offering a No Skill Run," Letti informed them.
"What's that?" Anon asked.
"In this race, you won't use any skills, and Ren won't use any skills while running," Letti explained.
"What? Crossing a continent without using skills? It'll take us days," Anon responded.
"No, it won't. They plan on using dopes," Letti clarified.
"You mean drugs?" Anon questioned.
"Yes, but they'll boost his physical abilities by 100 times. He'll be stronger than when using a skill. We'll be at a huge disadvantage because dopes are expensive, and we can't afford them. That's why they're proposing this—trying to win through money. Say no, and I'll handle the rest of the paperwork, and..." Letti was interrupted by Anon suddenly.
"What if I want to say yes?" Anon said, his smile growing wider.
"What? Are you kidding me? It's alright to be crazy sometimes, but this is just plain stupid. Do you even have any dopes? Do you know how much a lower-quality physical boosting dope costs?" Letti asked.
Anon promptly opened his inventory and produced a special-grade doping shot. It shimmered with a light blue hue, encased in a golden-coated glass bottle.
"How about now?" Anon inquired, a smile still adorning his face. Letti, on the other hand, fell silent, her complexion paling at the sight before her.
"H-How? Y-You? How do you have this?" Letti asked, her face filled with surprise as she stared at the special grade doping shot.
"I just do. Now say yes," Anon replied, a smile playing on his lips as he glanced at Seti and Ren.
"Okay," Seti responded, signing some papers and handing them to Letti.
"So, you signed it, huh, Ms. Letti? I thought you and your little Anon were going to chicken out," Seti remarked with an attitude.
"You just lost three blank mana contracts, and you still have that much attitude. You know I can make you dance naked in the middle of this ground, right?" Letti taunted.
Seti's expression turned tense and serious, but it quickly transformed into a smile as she spoke.
"Want to bet again, Ms. Letti?" Seti asked with a cunning smile on her foxy face.
"What? You want to lose again?" Letti asked, a smile gracing her face.
"Well, we will see about that. Just say, bet or no bet?" Seti challenged Letti with another mocking smile in hopes that letti will bet with her again.
"What do you want to bet now? Another mana contract?" Letti inquired as she looked at seti with a smile.
"Not just one mana contract, but six mana contracts. You destroy all of my previous contracts and give me three new contracts of yours. But if I am defeated, I will give you six more mana contracts instead," Seti proposed as she wanted to match the score to zero from her side and win some of Letti's mana contracts.
"Well, we can do that, but-"
"How about twelve mana contracts?" Letti countered swiftly as her expressions turned into a menace.
"What!?" Seti exclaimed, a look of surprise spreading across her face.
"Yes, if you want to bet, why not bet big?" Letti declared confidently.
'Is she bluffing? Or do they also have doping shots?' Seti wondered in her mind, her instincts alert.
"What? Do you want to bet or not?" Letti pressed, exerting pressure on Seti to accept it before something comes to her mind.
'No, she has to be bluffing. How can commoners like them have doping shots? Special grade mana potions are one thing, but doping shots are very expensive and made by the finest alchemists. How can someone like her possess one? Yet, something feels off, my instincts are telling me that i should reject it but my mind is telling me to accept it.' Seti thought, contemplating the situation.
"Okay, I will take that as a no," Letti spoke as she began walking back towards Anon.
"Wait, I agree," Seti halted her, speaking from behind.
"Let's make a pact this time," Letti proposed.
A pact is a mutual agreement signed between two parties by inserting their mana into a mana circle, sealing the agreement. The one who breaks it becomes unable to use magic forever.
"What? Why this time?" Seti asked, puzzled.
"I just want to do it," Letti replied.
"Okay," Seti agreed.
"I call upon the gods to witness this promise made between us, with their mana source on the line. May the gods take it away if any of us break it," Letti chanted, a red magic circle imprinted with mystical symbols appearing between them, suspended in the air.
Letti extended her hand and touched one side of the circle.
[State your terms], a voice emanated from the magic circle.
"If Ren wins, I, Letti, will give Mrs. Seti nine blank mana contracts and cancel her previous contracts that she gave me," Letti spoke as she grasped a glowing handle-like line within the magic circle.
[Do you accept the terms?] the magic circle confirmed with Seti.
Seti glanced at Letti, pondering for a moment. After a second, she also took hold of the other side of the handle and replied, "I accept."
[Locking the Pact. The one who breaks the pact will have their mana source destroyed.]
The circle spoke as it transitioned from red to green and vanished.
Suddenly, both Letti and Seti felt a chain binding their hearts.
"Well, let's meet after the race," Letti said, beginning to walk toward Anon. However, something crossed her mind.
Letti recalled that she had one of the special grade doping shots in her pocket, taken from Anon.
Without much hesitation, Letti pulled out the bottle of doping shot and let it fall onto the grass as if it had slipped out of her pocket by mistake.
"Oops, I dropped something," Letti stated, bending down to retrieve the bottle of the special grade doping shot.
Hearing this, Seti turned around to see what Letti had dropped. As her eyes widened in surprise and fear, she exclaimed, "Wait!!!"
"Yes, Mrs. Seti? Is something the problem?" Letti looked at Seti, wearing a mocking smile.
"Do you think this trick will work on me? Hahaha... never. Showing me a fake special grade doping shot? Do you want to prove that a commoner like you can afford an expensive doping shot like that? Even we can't buy them, Hahaha," Seti laughed, assuming that Letti was attempting to undermine her confidence before the race even started.
"Well, we can only find out once the race starts, right?" Letti replied, retrieving the doping shot and proceeding towards Anon.
"Do whatever you want, bitch, but this was the worst way for you to make me regret my decision. Ren will definitely win this race. You want me to believe you have a special grade doping shot? Yeah, in your dreams. Only the House of Alchemists produces them, and even they don't manufacture them in large quantities. Why would they provide one to commoners like you? Nice strategy, but sadly, it failed," Seti thought, smiling as she returned to Ren and explained everything to him.
"So, which dope shot do I have?" Ren asked Seti.
"Here," she replied, revealing a small bottle filled with thick red liquid.
"What is this?"
"A doping agent that can erase any pain for two hours and surpass human limits with ease," Seti explained.
"So first, you lock the bottle behind the injector and use the air pressure spell through this hole. As soon as you do that, the doping agent will enter your body, giving you a sudden charge of energy for 5 hours. But remember one thing.
Never, ever use any skill while using a doping agent, or you will get an overcharge," Letti explained.
"What is an overcharge? It sounds cool?" Anon asked, his face displaying confusion.
"It is cool, but once you experience it, you'll realize it's only a ticket to becoming paralyzed or disabled for the rest of your life. If you overcharge, you'll get a 750% power boost for as long as the doping agent works. But once it ends, you'll understand what true pain is.
When the doping agent enters your body, you're strictly prohibited from using mana. There's an ingredient used in making every doping agent called reverse mana-"
"You mean negative mana," Anon interrupted Letti.
"No, that's demon stuff, but it's somewhat similar. First, mana is extracted into its purest liquid form. Then, it's mixed with several ingredients like venom of the Frail Snake, eye liquid of the Dremine lizard, scalp of the Southern Horn rabbits, and more.
After mixing, the solution is filtered through a giant worm's skin, and the final touch comes with a drop of Elf Blood-"
"Ah, that's why it's so expensive," Anon realized why the doping agent had a high price.
"Yes, after this liquid is fully prepared, it takes the form of reverse mana elixir. When you inject a human's mana into it, the solution generates explosive energy for a limited period. But once the time is over, it explodes and releases a very dangerous chemical that can disable a human, if not kill them from the explosions within their body.
Now, do you understand? So, don't use any magical skills while the doping agent is active. You're only allowed to use any magic skills 30 minutes after the doping agent's effects wear off," Letti explained.
"Okay, I understand that I can't use any skills, or my body will explode and I'll become disabled."
"Good, now let me teach you which nerve to use for doping."
Anon spoke those words, but in his mind, something else was going on.
'I have the troll's locket. What could possibly kill me? If I can get a 750% power boost, it would mean a lot in an outnumbered fight,' Anon thought as a smile appeared on his face.
"So, did you understand?" Letti asked.
Anon snapped out of his thoughts and looked at Letti, realizing that he missed some crucial information.
"What was that? Can you explain again?" Anon asked.
"What are you thinking about? Focus here. This is very important. Now, look at this nerve," Letti said as she opened her hand and tightened her fist, causing two nerves to pop up near her bicep. Letti pointed to the right nerve.
"Okay, I have to inject the doping agent into this nerve, right?" Anon clarified.
"No, you idiot. This nerve is directly connected to your heart, meaning your mana source. If you inject it there, you'll die of a heart burst," she explained.
"Okay, so it's this one," Anon said, pointing to the other nerve.
"Yes, inject it carefully, and don't waste any," Letti instructed.
"I understand."
"Ladies and gentlemen, we have just received some critical information. Frank, the leader of the Noble House of the Undead, has quit the race. The final round will now happen between Anon Agreil and Ren Denver. This match will be remarkable. What do you think, Seraphina?" Landon announced.
"Well, on one side, we have the son of the Denver House, who killed a dragon at the age of ten and commanded the backlines during the latest war between the Human Kingdom and the Elf Kingdom. He's young and experienced. But on the other side, we have someone else near-crazy.
Anon Agreil, this guy's existence was unknown until this fateful night. He defeated the daughter of the Martial House, ran on water, and made the sirens bow before him. He nearly killed the daughter of the Witch House.
Remember that scene where he summoned millions of magic circles, covering the whole horizon with just one skill? The leader of the Witch House had to come herself to save her daughter.
This guy has turned the tables on the nobles, making them nervous and uncomfortable in mere hours. I can't determine the result of this race, but I hope both of them win," Seraphina spoke.
"We all know that's not possible, Seraphina, but we can only hope that maybe this match turns into a tie. Well, I think the sun will be up soon, and it's time for both contestants to reach their starting line," Landon announced.
Both Ren and Anon stood up from their seats and started walking toward the teleportation portal room.
"I will crush you, and this time you won't be able to run away from me, even if you can run on water," Ren spoke, looking at Anon with a neutral expression.
"Well, I also want to say something badass to you, but you're just not worth it. Still, I will fuck you up like a bitch and make you disappear, just like your father did after fucking your mother," Anon taunted with a smile on his face.
"You think this is a joke, don't you? You'll die soon, Anon Agreil, and your tongue will be the reason behind it. I don't know what your mother saw in you," Ren retorted before crossing the portal.
"Wait, what did he say?" Anon asked, looking at a worker near the teleportation portal in confusion, then crossed through the portal.
"Ladies and gentlemen, once again, we're here at the starting line of Celestria. Anon and Ren, both students, are very promising candidates. Today, one will prove that he is more worthy than the other," Seraphina announced.
"Anon and Ren will start running from this starting line and come back to the academy. Whoever comes first will win this KINGDOM'S NIGHT RUN. Now let's see who holds the potential. May the gods be with both of them," Landon declared.