Chapter 280
Heavy boots crunched on the gravel behind him.
Piaro walked up. The Dual Legend held his hand plow in his left hand. The farmer stopped, his sharp eyes instantly picking up the sudden shift and expansion in Rudra's aura.
"Your presence has changed, My Liege," Piaro stated smoothly. "The air around you feels boundless."
"I kinda hit a milestone," Rudra said. He turned and looked at the farmer, who had sacrificed his arm without a second thought just to save him from an attack. "Anyway, I have something for you."
He raised his left hand and placed his palm gently against Piaro's shoulder.
"Impart Knowledge."
[You have used 'Impart Knowledge (Lv. 1)'.]
[1,000 Enlightenment has been consumed.]
[Target 'Piaro' possesses Maximum Affinity with you.]
[You are passing down the Legendary skill: 'Mana Heart'.]
Piaro gasped as the knowledge on the creation of the Mana Heart flowed into his head.
The farmer stumbled backward, his boots dragging through the dirt. The air around him violently warped as he took a focused pose. A heavy, rhythmic thumping echoed from his chest for 5 full minutes. Sweat broke out across Piaro's forehead as he gripped his own ribs as he created his own [Mana Heart] in himself
[Your subordinate 'Piaro' has successfully learnt 'Mana Heart'.]
.[Piaro’s Strength, Stamina and Intelligence has increased greatly!]
[The effect of 'Impart Knowledge' has activated!]
[You receive a permanent 5% reflection of the stats gained by your student.]
[Strength +15.]
[Stamina +15.]
[Intelligence +9.]
"This pressure," Piaro grunted, forcing himself to stabilize the mana through the body. "It forces the mana directly into the marrow. It can act as a secondary heart that reinforces the entire body. The Mana density that it is providing is already extremely high and it will only continue to increase in the future. This technique is unlike anything I have ever seen before."
"It boosts your stamina and absorbs physical shock," Rudra said, pointing at the exhausted builders hauling stone across the yard. "Do you think we could teach it to them? It would fix their stamina problem."
"Absolutely not!"
Mumud appeared next to them in a flash of blue light. The Magic Saint looked completely horrified.
"My Lord, please do not," Mumud warned rapidly. "The internal pressure of that technique is overwhelmingly violent. Piaro can withstand it because his body has been tempered to the absolute physical peak. If you force that mana density into a normal citizen, or even the Beastman guards..."
"They would burst," Piaro agreed bluntly, his breathing finally steadying. "Their blood vessels would tear, and their bones would splinter into dust. It is a death sentence."
Rudra winced. "Right. Okay. Bad idea. We need something safer."
He slung Extortion onto his back. "Fine then, Right now lets call for a council and discuss the current situation .We need to figure out how to pay for all these broken walls."
The Lord's Manor was missing half of its eastern roof.
The main council room was drafty and smelled like burnt ozone. Rudra sat at the head of the large oak table.
The room was packed. Winfred, Piaro, and Mumud stood near the windows. Elysia and Elara were looking over a cracked alchemy ledger. Dante rested his hands on his walking stick.
The Genesis Guild members filled the rest of the space.
Colt, a handsome swordsman with a heavy greatsword strapped to his back, leaned casually against the stone wall. He offered a very charming, brilliant smile to Elysia.
"Lady Elysia," Colt said smoothly. "Your sword forms during the retreat were absolutely captivating. I would love to discuss your grip technique over a cup of tea later."
Elysia didn't look up from her ledger. "Your footwork during the barrage was entirely sloppy. You over-committed on your right heel. You would have died if the shockwave hadn't deflected. No."
Colt didn't even flinch. He bounced back instantly. He turned his bright smile toward the High Witch. "High Witch Elara. Perhaps you would be interested in..."
Elara simply raised her silver eyes. The freezing, centuries-old authority of the Witch Leader seemed to say enough about Colt’s advances.
Colt swallowed hard and looked at another witch who was in the vicinity. "Never mind. I will just go speak to the other witches. Hey, Seris!."
At the other end of the table, Cecilia stood next to Silas. As the 1st-ranked merchant and current head of the newly merged Silver Crest and Ves Merchant Group, she understood deeply the current state of the territory.
Silas clutched his golden abacus tight against his chest. His eyes were wide with sheer, unfiltered financial panic.
"My Liege," Silas said, his voice trembling. "The damage assessment is complete. The Academy, the Library, the Barracks... almost everything is completely pulverized. Rebuilding Stormbreak to its previous prime will take at least half a year."
"Half a year," Red groaned. The dual-rapier duelist leaned back, crossing his arms. "Bro, I am not doing manual labor for six months. Just put a nice rug over the crater. Pretend it's modern art."
Gold immediately stepped forward. The timid berserker smacked Red hard on the back of the head.
Smack.
"Ow!" Red yelped, rubbing his head.
"I am so sorry, Boss," Gold whispered, bowing her head deeply. Her face was bright red. "Please ignore him. He was dropped on his head as an adult"
"It's fine, wait an adult?" Rudra sighed. "Just keep it quiet, Red."
"Yes, boss," Red grumbled.