(Guys, this week's goal is 100 Powerstones Whether this fic will continue or not would depend on the support I am getting which is decided by the number of Powerstones this fic receives or the number of Patreon members)
(Also one more thing, Some people might have already noticed it before, but in the synopsis, I had put 5 ch/week as scheduled, but due to this fic being new, I was uploading one chapter each day, Due to the growth I saw, I won't drop it to 5 directly, so 6 chapter for now, with Friday as off. The reason for this is because I had to write my other fic too(Naruto: The Crimson Error) as I am not not going to drop that.
Note- This DOESN'T contains Bonus chapter)
'But how will I even get to the Heart Kingdom? And even if I manage to go, how will I gain their permission to learn their techniques? Stealing them is out of the question with the queen being practically omnipotent in the kingdom.'
Akeru quickly grabbed his bag, which he had previously hidden in a secret spot, and fled the area. He was confident he wouldn't be tracked since the person pursuing him had no effective way to trace him other than knowing he had headed toward the forest—information they only had because he had disposed of his gloves and money in that area.
It was just Akeru's bad luck that this person had stumbled upon him.
Determined to escape, Akeru focused entirely on his getaway. He grabbed a branch and began flying swiftly through the forest.
Starting his journey in the morning, he finally emerged from the dense woods by evening.
He covertly entered the city without going through official channels. This time, instead of stealing money directly from people, he targeted a bank.
'They won't be able to track me if they don't realize I've taken anything.'
He had chosen this specific bank because it was not only small but also poorly maintained—a perfect target from an outsider's perspective. Despite its shabby appearance, the bank held more than enough money for Akeru to live comfortably for hundreds of years.
That night, he managed to cross three cities undetected. Thanks to the stamina of a mana-enhanced body, he alternated between flying and running while allowing his mana to recuperate throughout the night.
By sunrise, Akeru entered a new city.
He began searching for supplies, and after a few hours, he found a shop selling exactly what he needed.
The shop, tucked away at the end of a dim alley, radiated an aura of danger.
'This is the place,' he thought as he entered, his mask firmly in place.
He looked at the shopkeeper and said, "I need the items."
"Which ones?" the man asked.
"All of them," Akeru replied without hesitation.
The shopkeeper was momentarily stunned but nodded in agreement. It made sense to him.
Later, Akeru reached a nearby forest. He knelt by a stream and pulled out a spray bottle. Spritzing his hair, he watched as his black strands transformed into a bright blonde.
The spray was nothing more than hair dye.
Next, he inserted coloured lenses into his eyes, transforming their black hue to a vivid red.
'In my previous life, this look would have made me stand out as a troublemaker, but in this world, such colors are common. It's fine.'
Satisfied with his new appearance, Akeru decided to rest.
'This spot is perfect for training,' he concluded.
Meanwhile, the Purple Orca magic knight who had confronted Akeru woke up with a jolt.
"Ahhh!" he groaned, clutching his chest. He was astonished to find no wound, no blood.
'I'm alive?' The realization stunned him into a brief daze.
"I'm alive! I'm alive! I'm alive!" he shouted, tears streaming down his face.
He had genuinely thought he was going to die. Grateful for his survival, he resolved to address his regrets.
'I'll propose to Miko-chan as soon as I get back to base,' he decided, wiping away his tears.
He inspected his body and realized his communication device was broken—unsurprising, given the circumstances.
Looking up, he noticed only a few hours had passed since he had fainted.
'I need to report this to headquarters immediately,' he thought, crafting a water bike spell.
But then he noticed his grimoire had been destroyed.
Closing his eyes, he channeled a large amount of mana into the air.
To his amazement, the mana coalesced into a new book—a replica of his old grimoire.
Without wasting time, he cast the water bike spell and sped toward the Purple Orca headquarters to report his findings.
In this world, mages could recreate their grimoires if they were destroyed, but it required a significant amount of mana. This made grimoires a prime target in battles; even a moment without one could prove fatal.
Akeru was well aware of this and had deliberately destroyed the knight's grimoire.
He had read in the library about the deep connection between mages and their grimoires. While it seemed logical, reality didn't always align with expectations.
The knight reached headquarters by the next morning and delivered his report. Due to the gravity of the situation, the intelligence was relayed to the Wizard King's Tower.
Meanwhile, the knight kept his promise to himself and went to propose to Miko-chan. Whether he succeeded or not remained a mystery, but in that moment, he felt deeply fulfilled.
The Wizard King, Julius, received the report of an individual capable of defeating a junior-level magic knight in a single blow.
"Now, that's interesting. I wonder why he spared the Purple Orca boy?" Julius mused, stroking his chin.
"I don't know the reason, but he's definitely dangerous. I suspect he was afraid we might track him if he killed the boy," Marx said, frowning.
"Were we able to track him?"
Marx shook his head.
"How intriguing. I wonder what kind of magic he uses," Julius pondered, briefly entertaining the idea of seeking the individual out himself. But Marx's stern gaze promptly dismissed the notion.
"Ahem. I'll leave the task of finding him to you. Assign some knights to investigate the area," Julius instructed before returning to his work.
In the Clover Kingdom, there were five ranks of magic knights:
Wizard King Grand Magic Knight Senior Magic Knight Intermediate Magic Knight Junior Magic Knight
While the contribution points needed for each rank varied, the power gap between them was immense.
By Heart Kingdom standards, the rankings roughly corresponded as follows:
Grand Magic Knight: Stage 0–1 Senior Magic Knight: Stage 1–3 Intermediate Magic Knight: Stage 4–6 Junior Magic Knight: Stage 7–9
These were approximations since both systems had exceptions. The Heart Kingdom created an additional category, the Arcane Stage, for outliers who didn't fit the standard model.
Nobles often dominated the higher ranks in the Clover Kingdom, perpetuating a superiority complex and suppressing commoners at every opportunity. This suppression stunted the growth of commoners, making it nearly impossible for them to rise through the ranks until recently.
Akeru woke up in the forest, hunted some animals for breakfast—or dinner, from his perspective—and began strategizing.
'I need to form water from mana. Watching that guy use water spells gave me some insights, but they're not significant enough. This will be my hardest challenge yet,' he thought, frowning as he relocated to a stream.
He believed that observing the water's flow might inspire a breakthrough—a notion born from his habit of consuming too much fiction in his past life.
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A/n- I took the liberty to properly define the power system and created the above conversion between magic knight ranks and their stages.
I know that it's not completely accurate, I might make some changes if a major plot hole happens due to this.
In the Cannon, Stage 1 corresponds to the Vice-Captain Level, which is true here also.
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