Unprecedented Acquisition (2)
[The secret technique of the Imperial Bloodline, the Asrahan Heart Method, was engraved in your heart but remained dormant due to your frail constitution. Now, it is awakening.]
A message appeared before his eyes.
Rakiel's eyes widened.
And for good reason.
"The Asrahan Heart Method?"
…This was huge.
In the world of The Emperor of the Demon Sword, the original story of this world, the Asrahan Heart Method was a unique mana cultivation technique used exclusively by the Magentano Imperial Family.
"It was created about 300 years ago, right?"
A Grandmaster recorded in history.
Javier Asrahan, was it?
It was said that he co-developed this technique with his master, Lloyd Frontera. From then on, it became the secret technique of the Magentano Imperial Bloodline, passed down only to direct heirs.
"And now, it has been passed down to me as well. No, to be precise, it was already embedded in this body—Rakiel's body. Because Rakiel is the Crown Prince. The rightful heir to the Imperial Throne."
But until now?
"He possessed the technique but was too frail to use it at all."
Now, however, things were different.
The message before his eyes confirmed it. The Asrahan Heart Method had awakened. It was now truly his.
Ding!
[The Asrahan Heart Method skill has been unlocked.]
[Skill Name: Asrahan Heart Method]
[Stage: Single Circle Lv. 1]
[Absorbs mana from the surroundings. The absorbed mana is processed/amplified through a circle formed around the heart and then utilized. The amplification rate increases significantly with each additional circle.]
[Current Mana Amplification Rate: 120%]
[HP required for next level-up: 1,000]
[Current HP: 100]
Vrrrrrrr—!
"Ohhh!"
Have you ever felt as if a smooth donut was spinning around your heart?
That was exactly what this sensation felt like.
"So this is mana?"
Every time the mana circle rotated, every time he breathed—
The air he inhaled carried a strange energy, which was absorbed by the circle, amplified, and then began flowing through his meridians. His body felt slightly invigorated.
For the first time since inhabiting Rakiel's frail body, he felt a kind of vitality stir within him.
"This feels like taking an ice-cold Americano shot first thing in the morning."
The mana circle spun automatically due to the heart method.
He could control it slightly—awkwardly, like taking his first steps.
Like a child who had just learned to ride a bike.
Rakiel experimented with adjusting the speed of the circle's rotation.
It was clumsy, but it worked.
"I need more practice."
With a sense of wonder, he continued exploring this newfound ability.
But then—
Thud!
"Huh?"
The smoothly spinning circle suddenly faltered.
And then, out of nowhere—
Screeeeech—!
"...!"
It began to spin violently.
It was completely unexpected.
Unintentional.
Unwanted.
A crushing pain, as if his heart was about to burst, surged through him.
"...Gah!"
He couldn't even scream.
The pain was too sudden.
He couldn't breathe.
He couldn't clutch his chest.
His throat simply tensed in agony.
"What the hell?"
Why was this pain suddenly overwhelming him?
Why did it feel like his heart was being torn apart?
Why was the mana circle rampaging uncontrollably?
He had no answers.
It all happened so abruptly.
"What is going on!?"
The circle wouldn't listen to him.
Not only was it spinning wildly out of control, but—
Originally, the circle was supposed to be a ring of mana surrounding the heart.
But the one forming now?
It was different.
Too small.
So small that it was choking his heart.
No, it wasn't just squeezing—it was crushing it.
"At this rate… my heart is going to explode."
Like the tightening golden circlet around the Monkey King's head.
Like a predator sinking its fangs mercilessly into its prey's throat.
The mana circle was twisting and tearing his heart apart, all while spinning out of control.
"Ugh… Ghhk!"
Rakiel barely held onto consciousness.
Cold sweat poured from his body.
His vision blurred.
Through his dimming sight, he saw Sir Gardin shouting something at him.
No, he was yelling.
Asking what was wrong.
Asking if he was alright.
Grabbing his shoulders.
Trying desperately to check his condition.
"Tsk."
Sir Gardin wasn't the only one in a panic.
Ding!
[The mana circle is excessively compressing the heart.]
[The developmental balance between the mana circle and the heart is mismatched.]
[Your heart is on the verge of failure.]
His heart and organs screamed at him through the messages.
The flashing notifications in his fading vision were dizzying, but they helped him piece together the cause of this sudden crisis.
"The balance between my mana circle and heart is off?"
Come to think of it… that made sense.
The Asrahan Heart Method had just awakened.
Which meant the mana circle had just started spinning for the first time.
But the circle's size was abnormally small.
Instead of comfortably surrounding his heart like a wide ring, it was squeezing it like a painfully tight band.
"Development… balance…"
Wait.
A realization slowly dawned on him.
A theory formed.
"If we're talking about development—my heart grew, but… the mana circle didn't?"
His mind wavered from the pain.
His heartbeat became erratic.
The signs of cardiac arrest were obvious.
But he kept thinking.
"Of course. It makes sense."
The original Rakiel was born as the Crown Prince.
From birth, he was destined to inherit the throne.
And the Asrahan Heart Method was a secret passed down only to direct heirs.
It was likely that the Emperor himself had engraved the mana circle into baby Rakiel's heart, following the imperial tradition.
So Rakiel had received the Asrahan Heart Method the moment he was born.
But here was the problem—
"Rakiel was born with a frail constitution. He was sickly from birth."
He had spent his entire life plagued by illness.
Would someone like that have been able to use the heart method?
"No."
Not even close.
His body, ravaged by sickness, had never been able to activate the technique.
So what about the mana circle?
"It had never spun. Not even once."
Since the day it was implanted in infancy, it had remained in a dormant state—never growing, never developing.
Meanwhile, Rakiel's heart had grown into that of an adult.
"No wonder the balance is off."
An adult's heart.
A newborn's mana circle.
A ridiculous, ironic mismatch.
And now that absurd combination was wreaking havoc in his chest.
He clenched his teeth.
He had to do something.
If this continued—he would die.
Not metaphorically.
Literally.
In the original story, Rakiel never awakened the mana circle, so he died peacefully.
But his situation was different.
Since the circle had already been awakened, he had to do something.
He had to balance the heart and the circle.
Otherwise, he'd suffer a heart attack and have an appointment with the Grim Reaper.
"Think. Think of a solution!"
He racked his brain.
And finally—
He found the answer.
Since he couldn't shrink his heart…
"I'll expand the circle!"
And so, he bet his life on it.
And won.
Ding!
[You have obtained a never-before-seen ability—Mana Circle Slot.]
A notification shining like divine revelation.
A realization struck him—
This wasn't just survival.
This was an unprecedented jackpot.