Ambrose Academy’s Modifier

Ari raised his brow. "Pardon? What do you mean you don't know?"

"Allow me to explain, Malentasume," Lady Amlerythe said.

"The Great Malenta-Saoto determined your worthiness and acknowledged you to receive a grand blessing. Although we, the Saoto, can sense the connection between you and The Great Malenta-Saoto, we cannot interpret its full meaning."

"What is clear to us, however, is that the blessing is vast, much more than what we, the Saoto, have received."

'It's definitely a boon for me; but how can mine be better than theirs?’

"I don't doubt your words, but it makes no sense to me,” Ari said. “I’m just an outsider, whereas the Soato have existed here for centuries, protecting the Malen Forest.”

Lady Amlerythe smiled. “The Great Malenta-Saoto views things differently from the rest of us, even you, Malentasume."

‘I guess I won’t know until I ask her directly.’

The title came as a surprise, but Ari did not give it too much thought. He knew the main reason he received the blessing.

He had another reason for coming to visit the Matriarch of the Saoto tribe.

Ari checked his profile but didn’t find anything. The next logical step would be to ask the Matriarch of the village for answers and more context.

He needed to understand the current situation as much as possible.

"Lady Amlerythe, I believe that you have something else to discuss with me.”

“A…request from The Great Malenta-Saoto, to eliminate the Orcs encroaching on the Malen Forest."

Her expression darkened immediately.

"Those vile creatures have to be eradicated from this world," she said through gritted teeth.

Ferine, too, had an unpleasant look on her face.

The incongruity was just too much.

Ari felt that having such ugly expressions on those beautiful faces should be a sin.

"Would you mind explaining what's been happening?"

"They have been raiding the forest regularly in an attempt to enter the village."

Ari clenched his fists.

"I can already guess what they're after..."

She nodded with a grave look.

An unsettling sensation pulsed throughout Ari’s body.

A wave of heat emanating from the centre of his chest spread through the rest of his body, causing the temperature around him to rise.

‘This feeling...Why now?’

The heat felt invigorating and euphoric, filling him with the desire to feel more.

His body trembled.

He felt an immense pressure building inside his chest.

The temperature and the pressure inside his chest intensified each time he thought about those filthy Orcs, and what they intended to do.

His anger and disgust boiled over when he saw the looks of horror on their faces.

"It's us...They want to capture and-”

Ari couldn't suppress the feelings inside his chest any longer.

Rumble!

Whoosh!

"M-Malentasume!"

Ferine and Lady Amlerythe stared wide-eyed.

"You don't have to say any more than this!"

[System Message!]

[Fragment of The Great Malenta-Saoto detected]

[Blessing Activated]

[Will of The Great Malenta-Saoto]

[Secondary Effect Unlocked]

[Mana Capacity Amplification: Boosts Mana capacity by 150 Levels for 1 minute]

[Mana Capacity: LV-346] [Duration: 1 minute]

'Fragment of The Great Malen-Soato? When did it happen?'

The memory of being absorbed by The Great Malen-Soato and turning into wood surfaced.

'Why didn't the system notify me of this before?... Ah, this feeling is intoxicating.’

An incredible amount of mana rushed through his body, making it difficult to focus on anything else.

"Malentasume, I sense The Great Malen-Soato's magical signature. What happened?" Lady Amlerythe asked, perplexed.

"I don't know either; it's hard to explain."

She tilted her head.

"Basically, I have a fragment of The Great Malen-Soato inside of me, and it activated a moment ago."

"Oh, that is correct. You have a fragment of The Great Malen-Soato inside of your chest," she said with a look of realisation.

"Pardon? You knew about this and didn't tell me?"

She nodded with a smile.

"I told you before, did I not, Malentasume?"

"Ferine and I noticed it when we inspected your body upon your arrival. We understood immediately that you had been acknowledged by The Great Malen-Soato, and the fluctuations in your mana flow were a result of the fragment settling inside of your body," she explained.

'She gave me a fragment, but Zane received her core...I see, so it’s like that.’

"You possess the will of The Great Malen-Soato inside of you. It shall respond to your will and desire and grow together with you."

'That's the name of the blessing... is it a coincidence?'

'Will it grow as I rank up? Like physically?'

"I'm not going to turn into a giant tree, right?"

"I do not know. You are the first Malentasume," she said with a shrug.

'She's messing with me, right?'

She flashed a wry grin. “At the very least, it should not happen for a few millennia."

Ari sighed.

‘That sensation earlier was the fragment of The Great Malen-Soato responding to my desire to slaughter the Orcs.’

Just then.

[System Message]

[Request of The Great Malen-Soato]

[Eradicate All Orcs In The Malen Forest]

[Restrictions: Non-Blessing Related Spells And Abilities Locked]

[Time Limit: Pending]

[Reward: Pending]

[Failure: Destruction of the Soato village and enslavement of the Soato Elves]

Ari re-read the failure tab two more times.

It did not mention the destruction of the Malen Forest, which meant that the fate of the Soato tribe is only a catalyst.

‘What the hell happened back then?’

Ari shook his head. The past didn’t matter. His job was to ensure a better future for the Saoto tribe, and the Malen Forest.

He disregarded the pending rewards as he felt that he had already received enough from The Great Malenta-Saoto.

The lack of a time limit concerned him.

Time flowed differently in the Malen Forest compared to the Tower and Ambrose City.

Ten days in the Malen Forest equated to one day in the Tower.

Two days had past in Ambrose City since Ari left Maya’s home. He planned to return on day five to allow for a full day of recovery before the examination.

That meant he had around thirty days to resolve the situation in the Malen Forest, and with the restrictions, he didn’t know if it would be enough.

He quickly checked his profile and found that his core abilities and attributes were not affected, everything else was locked.

Ari sighed in relief.

‘I need to know more about this Blessing.’

He turned to Lady Amlerythe. "What types of magic and spells would I have access to as the Malentasume?"

Lady Amlerythe and Ferine tilted their heads in puzzlement.

'Oh, right, they assume the magic I use is better than theirs...'

"Due to certain circumstances, my abilities are limited. Therefore, I may need to rely on magic and spells that exist outside of the Upper Garden."

Their eyes widened in surprise.

"Is that the reason?" Ferine mumbled.

"Think of me as someone ignorant of this world. Please enlighten me."

Lady Amlerythe nodded. "I understand your predicament, Malentasume. I shall enlighten you."

According to Lady Amlerythe.

People in this world are born with affinities to various types of magic.

Magical ability and talent vary from person to person.

This meant that two people can have the same number of affinities; however, their competency with each affinity may vary greatly.

Blessings enhance the user's synergy with the type of magic associated with the benefactor, thereby increasing their competence.

As for chant-less and non-verbal spells, those are only possible with mastery of the associated magic or with the help of a powerful blessing.

The Great Malen-Soato's blessing amplifies magic involving nature and the elements.

Since Ari’s magic affinity for all elements was at max level already, he wondered what other effects the blessing would have.

‘Its not that different from the people of Ambrose, the blessing aspect being the biggest difference...’

Ari always wondered where the Malen Forest was located. He had his suspicions, but with Lady Amlerythe’s explanation, he began to doubt himself.

Ari then asked Lady Amlerythe about previous raids and how they handled the Orcs.

It was obvious that the Soato were strong and capable, but they didn't have a large force.

She explained that they fought them off easily at first, but the Orcs kept returning with larger forces than before.

She said their raids had become more frequent too.

The Elen-Gota are on constant alert and respond to any Orc threat they encounter. As one can imagine, the constant patrolling and battles have left them rather exhausted.

When he asked why they hadn't taken the fight to the Orcs? She said they had a greater advantage when fighting in the Malen Forest, and that it would be unwise to leave the village undefended.

When he asked her what she meant by that, she confirmed his suspicions regarding the population of the Soato village.

It was an all-female tribe... An all-female Elven village.

Naturally, Ari was curious as to how that worked.

Lady Amlerythe said that she will leave the explanation for another time, after he resolved the Orc threat.

Ari found it suspicious, but did not press any further.

He informed Lady Amlerythe of his intention to train to become accustomed to using The Great Malen-Soato's blessing.

She offered Ferine as a partner to assist and guide him.

‘More alone time with Ferine...’

That thought reminded him of something Ferine said back at her cabin.

There was a time an place for everything, but now that it crossed his mind, he couldn’t let it go.

“Amlerythe.”

“Yes, Malentasume?”

“Why can't Ferine have sex with me?”

Ferine’s face flushed, and she smiled bashfully.

The Matriarch narrowed her eyes. “Did something happen?”

Ferine gulped.

“It could have, but she stopped herself.”

Lady Amlerythe nodded. “That’s good, then.”

‘The hell it is!’

“Answer me, Amlerythe.”

Lady Amlerythe pouted. “It's not that she can't…The Matriarch should have first privilege!”

Ari sighed. ‘So that's what she meant.’

“To think that I would not only get cock blocked by Ferine, but by you as well, Amlerythe.”

Their eyes widened.

He leaned over the table. “What are we going to do about this?”

He flashed a teasing grin. “The two of you should be punished, no?”

“Y-Yes,” Ferine replied immediately.

Lady Amlerythe smiled seductively, her face a lighter shade of pink than Ferine’s.

“I welcome any punishment you deem fit, Malentasume,” she said. “I am ready any-”

She stopped mid-sentence and closed her eyes.

In that moment, the fragment in his chest pulsed, filling him with emotions that conveyed a certain message.

Lady Amlerythe opened her eyes and locked onto his.

A look of disappointment flashed across her face before she corrected her expression.

“It appears that I’ll have to receive my punishment another time.”

“So it appears.”

‘Another fucking cock block.’

The Great Malen-Soato sent a message, urging him to become accustomed to using her blessing.

Ari found the sensation strange. A message conveyed not through words, but easily understood.

‘So this is how you communicate...’

It was unfortunate, but Ari understood.

They were at war. Training came first.

“Ferine, it's time to go.”

“O-Okay.”

He grabbed Ferine’s hand and bid farewell to Lady Amlerythe.