Chapter 127: Dark Heart
Once Vlad successfully extor—Ahem, compensated by Aldric for the mental trauma he had suffered, he left for the next quest in Stormhill together with Max, a hill among the countless others that surrounded the edge of the academy’s campus, farthest away from the main building. Among these hills, the professors’ dorms were also built.
As Vlad and Max reached the summit of the first hill, the sight stretching beyond the campus left them speechless. Countless hills of varying heights and landscapes extended as far as the eye could see, each seemingly existing in its own world. Some were shrouded beneath an endless curtain of rain, others lay buried under pristine blankets of snow, while a few blazed with the searing heat of active volcanoes. Every peak possessed a distinct environment, as though the laws of nature had been divided among them.
Among these countless hills stood Stormhill. It was shrouded in black clouds that continuously struck the hill with purple lightning. Yet the land was far from barren despite the relentless strikes of lightning. It was covered in beautiful violet grass and trees with purple petals that seemed to absorb the lightning falling from the clouds.
"I w-would have never believed that places like these exist if I did not see it with my own eyes," Vlad mumbled, taking a gulp, or more accurately, swallowing the heavenly scenery down his throat.
"Any artificial invention fails before the true architect of nature," Max added, equally mesmerised.
Once the duo reached the foot of Stormhill, Max took out a set of bots from his storage ring. They seemed different from the ones he had used during Orientation. Their surfaces seemed to be made of a hard, nonmetallic substance, with a single gold antenna protruding from each of their heads.
"Won’t they be damaged by lightning?" Vlad asked, curious as ever.
"Of course not," Max boasted, his hand resting on his waist in pride. "These babies are specially built for such harsh environments. Their antennae act as natural lightning rods, absorbing the electrical energy of each strike to recharge themselves. Any excess charge is safely channeled into the earth through their insulated bodies."
"Whoa, you’re a genius, Max," Vlad said, impressed, giving him a thumbs-up.
Thanks to his bots, they did not need to enter the hill themselves, making the task so much easier for them. While Max guided the bots with a controller, Vlad was immersed in his own theories.
’The sword I received from Sera had the ability to store Electro mana from the surroundings,’ he recalled inwardly. ’Should I try using it here?’
With that thought, he drew the longsword from his storage ring.
Just as he had hypothesized, the crimson gem embedded in the sword’s hilt began to glow as it started absorbing the elemental mana of Electro from its surroundings.
He felt a sudden rush of blood inside him, his instincts sharpening, his senses heightening.
Ding...
[The Éclair passive skill is activated. The host’s nerves are continuously stimulated by Electro mana, enhancing reaction speed and reflexes by ten percent.]
"Incredible," Vlad murmured as he felt the lightning dancing inside his body, his hair slightly rising from the static energy. While he was holding the sword, a thought crossed his mind.
’Until now, I have only been using Umbra mana for the Mana Blade. What if I try lacing it with Electro mana?’
Since he possessed an affinity for both Umbra and Electro, he could change the nature of his mana into Electro with just a thought, before pouring it out from his core.
Using the same mana control he had learned, he channeled the mana through his body, accumulating it in his hand. The color of the mana was different this time. It was crimson and more violent, with electric bolts covering his hand. He guided the mana to his blade, where it wrapped the weapon in a crimson energy.
His eyes widened in shock as the Mana Blade completely covered the sword. It was much easier than maintaining the Umbra mana. The mana consumption was nearly halved and the flow was twice as smooth.
Ding...
[The Éclair Passive skill is activated. The flow of Electro mana through the Host’s mana circuits is increased by 100%.]
Vlad’s respect for both the incredible sword and Seraphina, who had gifted it to him, had increased several times over, his eyes gleaming with happiness.
Had he used Electro mana in his fight against Tobius, he might have defeated him before suffering Mana Deviation.
The realisation left a bad taste in his mouth, but he did not let it foul his mood. He had just learned something incredible.
"I must invest in better artifacts and weapons that can help me make better use of the low mana I possess," he declared as he put the sword back in his storage ring.
A few minutes later, the bots returned, collecting the required number of Thunder Lilies from the hill.
"The mission is completed," Max declared with a grin. "Shall we return?"
"Yeah, let’s go," Vlad said, wrapping his arm around Max’s shoulder as the duo left the hills with satisfied grins.
Over the next five days, Vlad finished the remaining B-Rank quests with Chloe, Noah, and Max, fulfilling the first condition of sub-quest #2.
---
"This is the one I was looking for," Vlad murmured as he looked at the longsword in his hand. Its silver hilt was covered in black leather, its obsidian blade reflecting Vlad’s satisfied smile.
[Dark Heart]
[Attribute: Umbra]
[Abilities:
1. Improve the conductance of Umbra mana through the blade by 20%.
2. The blade absorbs ambient Umbra mana from its surroundings, gradually repairing minor scratches and surface damage on its own.]
"How much did you say again for this sword?" Vlad asked the elderly shopkeeper, the same one he had gone with Chloe to ask for a core, only to get into an argument with him.
"It’s 2000 credits," the elder revealed with a deep, annoyed frown on his wrinkled face. He had outright told Vlad not to enter the shop, still holding a grudge from their previous argument.
It was only when Vlad threatened him by flaunting the golden button on his blazer, and his connection to the Student Council, or more accurately to Seraphina Cendral, that the elder finally let him into his shop.
"Alright," Vlad said as he paid the amount, surprisingly without any bargaining. He put the sword into his storage ring and left the shop in hurried steps.
He needed to hurry to the arena, as the monthly competition was about to begin.