Return

Finally, after nearly five weeks confined to the infirmary, I was discharged. The feeling of fresh air and the freedom to move around again felt almost surreal. As I stepped out of the medical ward, the first thing that greeted me was a sight I should've expected but still left me slightly flustered.

Rachel, Seraphina, and Cecilia were all waiting for me just outside the door, their faces lighting up as they saw me. They were dressed in their academy uniforms, but their presence felt warmer than ever.

Rachel, with her serene smile, was the first to approach, her hand brushing against mine. "It's about time," she said softly, though there was a playful undertone in her voice.

Cecilia rolled her eyes but grinned. "Took you long enough. We were starting to think you'd forgotten how to walk."

Seraphina stood a bit behind them, her silver hair catching the light as she gave me a small nod. "We're glad you're okay, Arthur," she said quietly, but the sincerity in her voice was unmistakable.

I felt a bit overwhelmed but also incredibly lucky. I smiled back at them, trying to play it off casually. "Well, I guess I needed a grand welcoming party, didn't I?"

Cecilia lightly punched me on the arm. "Don't get used to it."

As the four of us walked back toward the dorms, a sense of normalcy began to settle in, at least as normal as life could be for someone like me.

I couldn't help but notice how much stronger they all seemed after a month of hard training. I felt the power radiating from them, a testament to their dedication.

"You got even stronger, didn't you?" Rachel said, her eyes narrowing with curiosity. "How did you break through so easily?"

I glanced at her and offered a smile. 

Honestly, even with Astral Convergence, I shouldn't have completed stage one of Integration so quickly. The truth was that I shattered a third of my core while in qilinification. Luckily, Luna was there to help me process and integrate the core fragments into my body, which was why I ended up in a long coma.

"I had to resort to some desperate measures given the situation," I replied.

Drake Namgung, wielding the power of black mana, was formidable. So formidable, in fact, that I shouldn't have won that battle at all. The only reason I did was that I had unlocked my Gift and forced myself to complete stage one of Integration.

In the novel, when Lucifer unlocked his Gift, it was during a dire moment—his desperation allowed him to manifest a second Gift. I felt an even deeper desperation when facing Drake, far greater than when I lost to Lucifer. 

If I hadn't fought back, even if I survived, Seraphina, Rachel, and Cecilia would have been in grave danger from him and Luke. I couldn't let that happen.

That desperation led to the awakening of my second Gift.

Seraphina pursed her lips, searching for the right words. "It was because of us, wasn't it?"

We all halted, the weight of her question hanging in the air.

"You… something happened to you during the battle because of us, right?" she pressed, her crystalline blue eyes locking onto mine. I nearly flinched under her gaze.

Tears lingered in her eyes, threatening to spill as she bit her lip, trying to hold back her emotions.

"Don't hurt yourself, Sera," I said gently, touching her lip with my fingers. She flinched at first but then relaxed into my touch.

"Yes, you're right," I admitted, exhaling slowly. "I unlocked my second Gift because of what I faced."

Their expressions shifted to sheer disbelief as all three girls nearly jumped in unison. "Second Gift?!"

It made sense when I thought about it. In the history of this world, only Julius Slatemark and Lucifer Windward had unlocked two Gifts—now I was one of them.

Even if Lucent Harmony stemmed from Luna's will, it was still my Gift in its own right.

Beast wills were essentially Gifts that beasts possessed and could pass on to individuals. This would fill the "Gift slot" that many people had, even if they didn't actually possess a Gift themselves.

However, most individuals couldn't have both a Gift and a beast will; the only exceptions were Julius and me.

And Julius was a legend and one of the Seven Supremes, so being the same as him in any capacity was legendary on its own.

At the same time, I now began thinking about the Inter-Academy Festival.

It was less than two months away now.

Hopefully, no big incident would happen like it did on Sophomore Ball. Aside from that, I wanted to make sure Mythos Academy would win the Festival.

With my strength alone, it shouldn't too hard speaking honestly.

Slatemark Academy and the other academies aren't shabby, but with the current Lucifer being strong enough to go toe-to-toe with Jack, and me being that level, it shouldn't be hard to win.

I had been uncertain before unlocking Soul Resonance, but now, unless Jack used his second Gift, Abyssal Flames, to its full power, there was no way we'd lose.

And, of course, Jack couldn't do that.

If he did, they'd discover his black mana.

Because of the peculiar nature of Jack Blazespout's existence, the only way his black mana could be exposed was if he unleashed his second Gift beyond a certain threshold or if a Radiant-ranker conducted a thorough examination of his body. So, Jack would never be able to use Abyssal Flames at its full potential.

'Black mana… such a strange classification,' I thought before snapping back to the present.

"Wait, so what is your second Gift?" The three girls leaned in closer, their eyes sparkling with curiosity. I nearly laughed at the sight.

Three beautiful princesses, all so excited... 

'Cute,' I thought.

I smiled and shook my head, teasing them for a moment. "It's called Soul Resonance," I finally revealed, watching their eyes widen in wonder. 

Cecilia blinked. "Soul Resonance? That sounds... different from what I expected."

Rachel tilted her head, her curious mind kicking into gear. "What does it do?"

Seraphina, her curiosity barely contained, edged even closer. "Come on, show us!"

I chuckled softly. "Not here. It's too dangerous to use openly. But you'll see soon enough. Trust me." 

They exchanged glances, clearly impatient but understanding the need for caution.