Chapter 64: After the Advancement!
"Damn it!"
Kaiden cursed loudly as he picked himself up off the floor. He ignored the accumulated system notifications appearing before him — his mental state wasn't allowing him to read them right now.
Before the advancement, he had still held a faint hope that this time would be easier… well, it was still painful, if not more painful than the last time.
He turned toward the nearby mirror, unsurprised by what he saw.
Blood was flowing from both ears, while other trails had run from his nose all the way to the corner of his mouth, leaving his face in a pitiful state.
Kaiden showed no reaction upon seeing his condition — he had no energy to spare for one.
He sighed, stripped off all his clothes, then walked with difficulty, bare as he was, to the bathroom… He filled the tub, which had grown to the size of a small pool, with cold water. The moment it was full, he climbed in.
He held his breath and submerged his entire body — head included — in the cold water, washing the blood from his face. When he raised his head again, the pain had eased somewhat. He took out several regular Health Recovery Potions from his inventory and drank them all at once.
"Ahh… now I feel like I'm back among the living." Kaiden murmured, leaning against the edge of the tub. After drinking the potions, he had regained much of his strength, the bleeding had stopped, and the wounds had turned into simple scars.
The cold water had also helped significantly reduce his physical and mental exhaustion. He closed his eyes and activated his senses — and found a vast amount of change. At this moment, his mind was clear as though he had instantaneously relocated to the space between stars. The quest reward that had increased his Earth affinity had a profound effect on his perception.
Even from the third floor, he could feel the dense earth element far below and feel his connection to earth magic grow stronger than ever — like an old friend who understood him.
He wanted to look at the notifications and his status board, but at that very moment, an unexpected notification appeared before him.
[Quest "Your Soldiers Need You!" Completed! Reward dispatched: Special Unit — Nascent Mage with Light Element Affinity ×1.]
"Damn it!"
Kaiden cursed for the second time in a short span. He hadn't expected this notification to appear while he was still bare inside the tub.
But there was no time to get ahead of the situation. The white flash had already appeared on the bathroom floor before him.
The flash quickly faded, and in its place stood a small, pleasant-looking young woman with white hair. She looked at the Lord before her in preparation to greet him — but she froze in place, her eyes going wide. And before long, a deep flush spread rapidly across the young woman's fair-skinned face.
Has she arrived at an inconvenient time? was the only thought circling in her mind.
Kaiden at that moment was still leaning against the tub, taken aback by the situation.
I'm looking at you, and you're looking at me… this state continued for several seconds that both parties felt were far too long.
It was the young woman who broke the awkward silence first, quickly regaining her composure and kneeling on one knee.
"Nora greets Your Lordship." She tried to speak with seriousness, but couldn't conceal the note of embarrassment in her words.
"Ahem!… Welcome to my territory, Nora." Kaiden also cleared his throat with embarrassment and tried to address the situation: "Please wait for me outside the Lord's Hall. I'll come down shortly."
"Understood, my lord." Nora set off at quick steps as though she had just been granted a great pardon, lowering her head so as not to appear disrespectful.
"Nora… the door is this way." Kaiden covered his face helplessly and pointed his new special unit toward the correct direction — which was the opposite of the one she had walked in.
"Ah!… I'm sorry, my lord! Forgive me."
"It's fine." Kaiden murmured, watching the young woman spin around and walk out quickly — practically running, the embarrassment still visible on her cheeks.
Fortunately, he had been inside the tub when the young woman appeared, so only his upper body was visible above the dark water, which reduced the awkwardness of the situation somewhat.
Kaiden postponed reviewing his new status board until after seeing the information on the new special unit.
---
This incident was nothing more than a small embarrassing moment, which Kaiden quickly forgot. He finished his bath quickly, changed into yet another new outfit, and came downstairs from the Lord's Hall.
The white-haired young woman was standing before the Lord's Hall waiting for him. Kaiden greeted her again and explained the situation to her briefly so she wouldn't misunderstand.
And with that, the incident was put to rest. He then opened her information interface without further delay.
---
Name: Nora
Rank: Nascent Mage
Level: 1
Experience: 0 / 100
Loyalty: 75%
Affinity Type: Light element affinity at 52% compatibility
Description: A special unit. A Nascent Mage with an affinity for the rare Light element, allowing her to heal soldiers and grant them blessings to enhance their strength during battle.
Class Skills:
- Mana Sense (Common, Passive)
- Healing Touch (Common, Active)
- Shield of Light (Rare, Active)
- Blessing of Light (Rare, Active)
Note: Additional damage effects when skills are used against creatures with a darkness element affinity.
---
"Light affinity! Healing magic!" Kaiden murmured, trying to conceal his delight. In truth, because of the unexpected situation, he hadn't read the quest completion notification, so he had only now learned what affinity Nora possessed.
This was a wonderful addition to his force lineup — and one he had been in dire need of. He would see the effects of "Healing Touch" and the difference from Health Recovery Potions, as well as the magnitude of the enhancement from "Blessing of Light," later.
Despite the tight schedule, Kaiden patiently taught Nora about his territory, the nature of the world, and the reality they were now living in… In truth, he was worried that this special unit, who possessed no combat power, might accidentally wander outside the protective barrier's borders.
Nora listened seriously and nodded attentively at the Lord's instructions.
After instructing the new mage, Kaiden felt at ease and sent her on her way to familiarize herself with the territory on her own.
"Sigh~ I sometimes resent just how logical this fantasy world is." Kaiden sighed helplessly, then shook his head to clear the stray thoughts.
He returned his focus to what he had wanted to do before the interruption. First, he reread the notifications he had missed, then opened his new status board.
---
[Lord's Status Board]
Name: Kaiden
Class: Seasoned Mage (Per level: +20 Intelligence points, +10 free trait points)
Earth Affinity: 90%
Level: 11 (0/2,000) (Maximum 25 levels)
Race: Human
Traits:
- Health: 35
- Strength: 28
- Speed: 32
- Endurance: 27
- Intelligence: 165
Skills:
- Mana Sense (Common, Passive)
- Mana Control (Rare, Passive)
- Terrain Modification (Rare, Active)
- Subterranean Vision (Rare, Active)
- Earth Manipulation (Epic, Active)
Future Path: Please upgrade the Lord's Crown to view the future path and advancement requirements.
---
Upon seeing his status, the first thing he noticed was that this rank granted double the Intelligence points and free trait points compared to what he had earned in the previous rank. Oh — and the experience required had also doubled.
He had also received a significant surge in attributes during the advancement. He recalled having just over 100 Intelligence points previously. During the advancement, they had risen by roughly 50 points all at once — meaning he now possessed a mana reserve of 1,650 points. Remarkable. The rest of his stats had all received a boost as well, making him considerably stronger than before.
He had also acquired a new passive skill.
Mana Control
Description: A Rare passive skill that passively increases the user's understanding of mana and its applications, allowing for better and more refined use.
Kaiden closed his eyes, and this time ignored the dense earth element surrounding him from below, focusing instead on the mana within his body.
He noticed the difference immediately. In the past, he had seen mana as a strange network spreading through his body that obeyed his commands — yet without any ability to influence the mana's nature itself. Now it was no longer something foreign — it was something he could actively intervene in and affect. He could, for example, increase its flow or dampen it, and control it with far greater precision.
This skill was more powerful than many might imagine, because it had helped Kaiden improve his understanding of all the other skills he possessed.
For example, he could now launch the Earth Manipulation skill faster, more easily, and with greater variety — because he now had a deeper understanding of mana. If he were to face Gilont's attack today, he would no longer need to predict where he would strike. His basic reaction time would be more than sufficient.
Overall, Kaiden was genuinely satisfied. This skill was the most important thing he needed at his current stage.
Now, having verified his new status board, he wanted to learn his Epic skill — but first, he wanted to test the ideas he had formed while observing the Land Improvement Voucher in action.
Especially after advancing his rank, he had gained considerably more understanding. He felt he needed only one more small push.
---
— End of Chapter Sixty-Four —
Author’s note: Hi everyone, I hope you’re all well. If you’d like some advanced chapters, there are 13 of them available on my Patreon account for just $5. It’s a way for you to support me so I can keep going. Thank you.