Chapter 196: House Frostbane [2]
Timothy was unable to hold back his curiosity so he started bombarding Louis with many questions.
"Sorry for asking but... When do we go to class? When do we learn? Where do we go? At what time? Which days? When does it start? How do we take care of the animals outside? Can we eat the cows? I want to try those fiery chickens. Can I eat one? Also, can we go outside and hunt monsters whenever we want? Is it possible to sell what we hunt and make money? When is the first exam? Can you explain what the Dungeon Games are—"
"Oh my goodness, Lord Timothy, please stop asking so many questions! You are making Lord Louis irritated!" Catrise interrupted before Louis lost his patience.
The prince’s face had turned slightly red, and his white eyebrows twitched with annoyance. "Timothy, next time you have questions, please think about how you ask them instead of bombarding me with a million at once... Haa, but I understand your confusion, and I believe most of you feel the same, so let me clarify everything."
Louis patiently answered all the questions while sipping his tea.
"Classes officially begin the day after tomorrow, so we have tomorrow to get used to the surroundings and the town. We will take a tour then."
"There are several classes, and we must choose them. I will represent the entire house and select them for you. The basics will be History, Language, Mathematics, Alchemy, Magical Formula, and Runic Inscription. We will also have Spiralwalker Training, Physical Fitness, Magical Fighting, and Weapon Technique. There are Dungeon Delving Classes and, naturally, Fantasium Cleansing Classes designed to teach us how to fight and eliminate Entities and Grievances, as well as how to cleanse Fantasy Fields."
"All classes take place in the Academy’s main building, the castle over there. I will guide you until you learn the locations and can go on your own."
"Later, we will aim to recruit at least five or six new members for our house. Many students, especially commoners, are not yet affiliated with any House, so we will target the most talented ones."
"Next week, the first Dungeon Game will begin. It will be a simple dungeon-delving test where students must form teams of five to fifteen members. The more members, the harder the challenge. Because I do not want you to rely on me, you will complete these tests separately. You must carry your own weight from now on."
"Regarding going outside to hunt, it is complicated. You will likely be busy with schoolwork most of the time, but there are no rules against it if you have the time. The monsters outside are very strong, so going alone will likely get you killed. Unless controlled by a Spiral, they are not aggressive if unprovoked and will mind their own business."
"Later, there may be tests that require us to explore the Wilderness, the vast Divine Realm, and its many floating islands to hunt monsters and gather specific treasures."
"Lastly, no. Do not eat the cows, chickens, or sheep. They are here to produce milk, eggs, and magic wool. If I catch anyone cooking one, I will kick you out of the house."
With everything explained, Timothy and the rest of the house nodded, finally understanding a little better, though a few questions still lingered.
"You are free to ask anything you are curious about," Louis said.
"About the other Houses, are these people our enemies?" Mirai wondered. "Can’t we get along?"
"We can... technically," Louis smiled. "Many classes will overlap with them, and they will simply be classmates. However, during competitive tests or the Dungeon Games, they will be our rivals, so we must remain careful and never lower our guard. I will do my best to maintain good relationships with them. Some may try to recruit you, so do not listen. It is not worth betraying your own country by changing houses."
"Understood!" Melisa nodded eagerly. "We’re ready, right Selene?"
"Yes!" Selene replied, licking her teeth after devouring a large piece of roasted wild boar. "But I want to hunt too... Can’t we?"
"Maybe later, once we have more free time," Louis said. "Classes are four or five times a week, so weekends can be used for other things. Most students will dedicate them to extra training. If you want to earn prestige and resources to grow stronger faster, you will need to excel at what you do."
"Sounds like a bunch of boring crap..." Timothy yawned.
"Timothy!" Agustina groaned, kicking his leg under the table.
"Ouch!" Timothy cried, tearing up. "Why did you do that?! So mean!"
"No, this time I actually agree with you, Timothy," Louis said. "The Sinners Academy is indeed full of boring tasks, and I would rather do something else. At the same time, it is the perfect place for us to grow stronger. The relationships we build here will literally decide the future of our nations and shape the world itself."
"You heard him," Zorba added. "So behave and try to be friendly. And Timothy, you had better stop being such an idiot."
"Hey, I am not an idiot! Why is everyone picking on me today?" Timothy sighed.
"For the same reasons I told you. You’re too easy to bully," Anastasia chuckled, annoying Timothy even more.
"Enough. For now, we should rest. Tomorrow will be a big day," Louis said. "Get some sleep."
After dinner, Louis returned to his room and checked his Status before resting. Several things had changed after his intense training, and he was curious about his current growth.
♢♢♢♢
Name: Louis Drakeheart Yggdrasil
Classification: Sinner (Dragon–Human–Anomaly)
Spiral: Hollow Spiral of the Ashen Wyrm, Spiral of Sadism, Desecrated Soul Spiral Fragment, Self-Flagellation Spiral Fragment, Malevolent Plotter Spiral Fragment, Entropy Spiral Fragment.
Tier: 7 – Hollow Flame
Fantasy Heart:
Level 55/150 Vitality: 2,794
Strength: 2,665
Intelligence: 2.117
Dexterity: 2,235
Fantasium: 28,500
Fantasium Affinity: 98%
Madness Index: 16%
Bonds:
Dragon Family Bond – Mother Benladra (Bond Level 10/10)
Bond of Love – Mirai (Bond Level 10/10)
Bond of Brotherhood – Cardoon Zorba (Bond Level 9/10)
Bonded Entities:
Abyssal Mother’s Large Caressing Hand – Handy (Level 3 Entity) (Bond Level 5/10)
Adolescent Fairy of Light – Belladine (Rank 2 Spirit Familiar) (Bond Level 7/10)
Gardener’s Memento – ??? (Level 4 Entity) (Bond Level 2/10)
Abyssal Dragon Tree of Ruin – Nidhogg (Level 5 Grievance [Sealed]) (Bond Level 10/10)
Primordial Frost Sword Soul Heart Avatar Spirit – Niflheim (Rank 2 Spirit Familiar) (Bond Level 5/10)
Soul Gear/Treasure:
Celestial Spirit Soul Lance – Gungnir (Rank 2: 64%) (Slot 1: Rune of Slaughter) (Rank 3 Spirit Orb: Celestial Serpent, Heaven Phoenix, Salt Warden)
Demonic Spiral Sword of Death Chaos – Nameless (Rank 1: 77%) (Components: Zorba’s Desecrated Soul Spiral Stone & Mirai’s Burnt Bones)
Gardener’s Crystalized Heart (Rank 1: 83%)
Elemental Affinities:
Ash Element: A+++ Rank
Ice Element: A+++ Rank
Void Element: S Rank
Dragon Element: C++ Rank
Ruin Element: B+ Rank
Incarnation:
Gravewalker – Tier 7 (Growth: 17%)
Psychopath – Tier 8 (Growth: 6%)
Necromancer Fragment – Tier 9
Pugilist Fragment – Tier 9
Dark Knight Fragment – Tier 7
Devil Fragment – Tier 9
Spiralwalker Abilities:
Ashen Frost – Tier 7 (Growth: 18%)
Death-Sense – Tier 7 (Growth: 32%)
Breath of Ruin – Tier 7 (Growth: 41%)
Blood Feast – Tier 8 (Growth: 5%)
Pain Weaponization Fragment – Tier 8
Iron Body Fragment – Tier 9
Soul Enslavement Fragment – Tier 9
Malevolent Play Fragment – Tier 7
Devil’s Soul Fragment – Tier 9
Esper Abilities:
Telepathy – E+ Rank
Telekinesis – C- Rank
Mindscape Formation – E+ Rank
Psychic Aura Expansion – D+ Rank
Esper Spiritualization: Great Dragon King – C Rank
Bonded Abilities:
Healing Prayer Fragment – Tier 7 (Handy)
Painless Curse – Tier 7 (Handy)
Light Element Affinity – B Rank (Belladine)
Holy Spirit Blessing – Tier 8 (Belladine)
Soul Essence Restoration – Tier 7 (Gardener’s Memento)
Dragon Blood Forest of Ruin – Tier 7 (Nidhogg)
Divine Ice Dragon King Sword Style – Expert Realm (Niflheim)
Cultivation Methods:
Mana Breathing – Grand Perfection
Mana Body Reinforcement – Grand Perfection
Mana Consciousness Expansion – Grand Perfection
Heaven And Earth Essence Gathering – Grand Perfection
Heaven-Earth Harmonization Sutra – Grand Perfection
Five Elemental Spiritual Roots – Grand Perfection
Sword Breathing Technique – Second Step: Sword Master Rank
Holy Dragon Spirit Soul Vein Technique – Grand Perfection
Fake Dragon Heart Creation Method – Grand Perfection
Spirit Bond Method – Grand Perfection
Nirvana Soul Flame Furnace Method – Grand Perfection
Void Meridian Sutra Method – Middle Stage
Yin-Yang Rotation Core – Initial Stage
Five Elemental Spiritual Body – Initial Stage
Crystalized Spiritual Dragon Mana Heart – Initial Stage
♢♢♢♢
Over the past months, Louis had endured immense and exhausting training without pause, determined to become strong enough to overcome every coming challenge.
His Familiars had evolved. With enough training and materials, he had successfully evolved Handy, Belladine, and Niflheim.
Handy had become a "Large" hand, now the size of a car, though she could still shrink back to her smaller form. In her gigantic state, she could not only heal but also fight. She had awakened a special ability tied to the Spiral of Compassion called "Painless Curse," which allowed her to absorb others’ pain and transform it into murky, black, inky cursed energy used by advanced Compassion Spiralwalkers. The ability was still a fresh fragment and developing, but she could already channel the power to Louis, granting him more strength the more pain she absorbed.