17 T-3
Hephaestus.
This was a title earned by the blacksmith who forged Elijah's sword and other vital artifacts for numerous other powerful American awakened.
Like his namesake in Greek mythology, Hephaestus wielded terrifying flames that were capable of incinerating his opponents.
Despite his renown, his class remained a mystery to all, though rumors claim him to be epic.
However, it was surprising to think that a figure like such was residing in a rundown smithy like this…
Initially, Hans had overlooked it, but the smithy was central and even close to the association, despite being in terrible conditions.
Hans couldn't help but wonder what a great person like Hephaestus could accomplish by secluding himself in this rabbit hole of a shop.
Curiosity battled with self-preservation, nonetheless, his will to live won over his curiosity, thinking that if Hephaestus were to discover that he knew about his secret, there was a possibility that Hans could be killed or silenced.
Who knew... powerful people always had strange thoughts.
"What? Here, give it back, I just let you borrow it for a while," the old man said as he saw Hans retract his hand back and continued, "Well, if you can, you are welcome to buy it, hehe, a little bit of money wouldn't hurt this old man."
"Ah, yes here," Hans handed over the sword.
'What would you even need money for, you shameless old man, everyone knows Hephaestus is rich, filthy rich. Every single one of his crafted items goes for tens if not hundreds of millions of dollars, while his masterpieces can even surpass billions in the market.'
Once again, Hans suppressed his thoughts and questions to avoid offending Hephaestus.
"So? How was it? I guess ya've had the chance to use it," said the blacksmith as he analyzed the slightly scratched edge of the blade.
"O-oh yes, it was really sharp and the balance was just right," Hans replied, praising the sword's craftsmanship.
The old man blushed a bit and cleared his throat before laughing out, "Well, I guess even a mage ain't as stupid as to not understand the greatness of one of ma swords."
"Now get the hell outta here kid, it's almost 2 a.m., does it seem like a good time for ya to sneak in at someone else's place?!!"
The old man raised his hammer high above his short body, as a result, Hans, who was already afraid of facing an S-Rank's wrath, got the hell out of the shop as fast as he possibly could.
"Tch, kids these days!" Commented the old man before returning inside once he had chased Hans out.
Even if his words were harsh, the end of his lips curved up to form a warm smile.
_____
The next morning…
Having rested the entire night and made enough preparations to embark on the challenge that awaited him, Hans was determined to finally create his third circle.
He closed his eyes and reclined on the floor with nothing but a towel between him and the dusty moquette.
For mages, circles were like essential permit accesses for higher spells, yet their significance extended beyond that of mere spellcasting.
As a circle was formed, the mage's connection with the mana deepened, so the higher the circle a mage had the higher their affinity was.
A mage attuned to high circles would almost be seamlessly integrated with the world's mana, simplifying the absorption and manipulation of the mana.
Typically, a mage drew the mana from nature to cast spells, using his own mana to control those spells.
Consequently, when a mage has depleted their mana reserves, they won't be able to cast any spells.
However, the higher your circle, the less mana would be needed to control the ambient mana.
The rigorous trial one has to pass in order to create his third circle involves experiencing a moment of "blend", wherein one's body is harmonized with the world's mana.
Hans then began gathering mana from all his body, condensing it in a small sphere akin to a ping-pong ball.
Once he had formed it, he carefully started spinning it around his heart as he had done in his previous attempts, ensuring to not let it out of control and potentially harm himself.
As the circle created by the spinning mana slowly took its shape, and when he felt like it was stable enough, Hans left it on its own.
The moment the circle was created, a terrifying feeling gripped Hans's consciousness.
His senses blurred, his head spun, and any kind of sound became indistinct to him while anything he saw became blurry and distorted.
The breakfast that was still in his stomach refused to remain quiet and rose, spilling out from his mouth.
Finally, he collapsed to the ground, not moving even a single muscle.
_____
The day after.
'Mhhhh, what am I doing here?'
Hans groaned as consciousness returned and he was greeted by a familiar sight of his ceiling once again.
"I was forming the third circle, that's right, I have to create it, and then I'll bring them all back."
It took another 18 hours of sleep and a couple more hours of rest for Hans' body to recover from his first "blend" experience.
Between the fleeting moments of closing his eyelids, Hans barely managed to see the window before his eyes.
[Congratulations…
….on advancing…..]
Then his eyes closed once again, remaining shut for the next four days.
By the time he opened them once again, Hans' vision was flooded with numerous messages.
[Congratulations on advancing from a tier 2 mage to a tier 3 mage.]
[You have gained 50 wisdom points and your affinity and control over mana have been increased.]
[Due to the effect of being a true mage, you have gained an additional 50 wisdom points, significantly increasing your affinity and control over mana.]
[You have experienced the state of "blend" for the first time, your wisdom has increased by 20.]
[You have undergone a total "blend," due to your path as a true mage, most of the impurities in your body have been eliminated.]
Raising his torso, he observed his abs.
Not only were his muscles slightly more defined, but a sticky black substance coated his entire body and the odor in the room was unbearable, akin to that of a public toilet.
Other than that, his cheeks were dry; although advancing in ranks allowed the awakened to resist days or even weeks without eating and drinking, after six days of uninterrupted sleep, his body really didn't have any fuel left.
Partly out of curiosity and partly because he didn't want to get up, Hans called out: "Status"
[Current Status]
[Name: Hans
Age: 18
Class: Knowledge Seeker (UNKNOWN)
Title: None
Level: 39
Strength: 62
Dexterity: 62
Endurance: 62
Wisdom: 624
Class Skills:
{Knowledge Hunger}
{Almighty Knowledge}
{Piercing Gaze}
Normal Skills:
{Fireball}(Tier-0)
{Greater Fireball}(Tier-2) (NEW!)
{Fire Veil}(Tier-1)
{Strong Mind}
{Stealth}(Tier-3)
{Mana Barrier}(Tier-3)
{Combine}(Tier-1)
{Mana route}(Tier-1)
{Sword Mastery}(G-Rank)
{Earth Projectile}(Tier-0)
{Breeze}(Tier-0)
{Blizzard}(Tier-3) (NEW!)
{Ice Spear}(Tier-1)(NEW!)
{Lume}(Tier-0)(NEW!)
{Shock}(Tier-0)(NEW!)
Evaluation: Potential: ???
Currently, a Tier-3 mage with enough mana to rival a Tier-4; control and affinity with mana also surpass a Tier-4 mage.
A D-rank swordsman with exceptional balance in his stats; but lacks experience, making him slightly weaker than a normal D-rank.}
In the days before advancing to the third circle, Hans cleared gates daily, acquiring two skills:
{Skill Name: Lume (Tier-0)
Description: Basic magic spell belonging to the Light's path.
Effect: Creates a feeble light, barely enough to help the user see a couple of steps ahead.}
{Skill Name: Shock (Tier-0)
Description: Basic spell belonging to the Electricity's path.
Effect: Creates a small burst of electricity from the user's fingertips, the user might be able to leave a small wound if the opponent's skin is soft.}
With no more excuses, Hans managed to summon his remaining strength and get up, he quickly took a shower to alleviate the stench before hurrying out to buy some food.
He stopped at a Pizza Hut, purchased enough pizza for a family, and devoured it alone, unconcerned about the money at all.
Current balance: [Above 300K$]
Upgrading to raid E-Rank gates gave him a significant boost in income.
So much so that if he were to continue at this current pace, he could possibly become a millionaire within a month.
However, Hans found little interest in that and was just happily enjoying his cheesy pizza.
Not all the hunters could match his earnings. He raided the gates alone and did so once every day, not to talk about his tax reduction.
Most hunters worked in teams and would have to wait at least a week before they returned to peak condition and attempt raiding another gate, and since they did it in teams of four or more they had to split their earnings as well.
His current pay already rivaled that of a B-Rank hunter.
After satisfying his hunger, Hans walked home peacefully, intending to visit his family in the afternoon.
Before that, however, he ran into a problem: the room reeked, and very badly at that.
He opened all the windows, letting the cold air take over his apartment, and in the meantime went to buy some perfumes to fix the situation.
After he had finally finished all the cleaning, he headed to the bus station.
Destination: the hospital.
