Chapter 35: Imperial Leaderboard!
Ren stood near the cracked remnants of the formation core, his breath steadying as the cool energy from Mirabella’s potions flowed through his limbs like a warm tide returning to shore.
The bitter aftertaste of the healing elixir still lingered on his tongue, but he could already feel the gashes on his arm stitching themselves up.
His legs no longer trembled, his back was upright again, and the weight of exhaustion had faded to something manageable.
It wasn’t perfect recovery, but it was enough for him to fight again if fight he must. And from the way the air outside the shattered barrier now crackled with sinister pressure, that "if" was about to become a very sharp, very painful "definitely."
His dark blue kusarigama spun slowly in one hand, the chain lightly brushing against the ground like the growl of a waking beast.
His mind wasn’t panicked. It was focused, sharp like a scalpel in the hands of a surgeon. But behind those cold, thoughtful eyes, calculations ran rampant.
’Current status: Strength at roughly 70%. Stamina; regenerated, but unreliable for extended conflict. Wound response; functional. Best-case estimate: Top of Stage 2.’
He sighed through his nose, glancing up at the sky, and cursed softly. If only curses came with a settings menu.
The reality was harsh and simple. He had no business going one-on-one with a Stage 3 curse as he was.
That was a leap too high. The gap between Stage 2 and Stage 3 wasn’t just a step, it was like trying to high-jump over a bus.
He had seen that firsthand. Mirabella, who was clearly leagues above most students, had frozen the entire auditorium solid just to kill a single Stage 3 curse.