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...
Inside the dimly lit chamber of Leylin's manor, the oppressive silence was broken only by the slow, measured breaths of its young occupant. The flickering candlelight cast elongated shadows upon the walls, where various alchemical tools and ancient tomes lined the shelves. Sitting cross-legged on the stone floor, Leylin's gaze remained fixed on the blood altar inscribed within the cursed Bloodline Codex.
The altar pulsated with a sinister rhythm, its surface covered in blood-red runes that shimmered eerily. From its depths, numerous grotesque tendrils slithered and coiled, as if reaching out in search of something unseen. In Leylin's hands rested a crystalline object—a deep-red blood crystal, pulsating in sync with his own heartbeat. (Image)
A satisfied glint flickered in Leylin's brown eyes.
"It's ready. I have finally reached the 7 Spiritual Force bottleneck."
He rose to his feet, his dark robe flowing behind him as he made his way to his personal laboratory. It had been weeks since his return from the Withering Forest, where he had expended a lot of energy to acquire rare blood of Great Withering Mankestre.
Since then, he had meticulously absorbed blood essence using the bloodline assimilation ability of Cursed Bloodline Codex, refining his body and spirit in preparation for this exact moment.
Tonight, he would break through.
Inside his secret laboratory, the air was thick with the scent of alchemical reagents. The layout was stark and utilitarian—no excessive decorations, only shelves lined with vials, scrolls, and a cushion at the center of the room. (Image)
Leylin searched through a small chest and retrieved a set of vials containing a faintly glowing liquid—the Reactive Elixirs. These were bought from Dorotte, the old Magus teacher of his, who had recognized Leylin's talent early on.
While Dorotte had expected Leylin to take two or three years to reach this stage, the young acolyte had surpassed all expectations, reaching this milestone in just over a year.
Placing the elixirs beside him, Leylin sat cross-legged on the cushion. Before him, the blood crystal rested ominously, its glow intensifying as if eager for the upcoming ritual.
"The final step before becoming an official Magus is Level 3 Acolyte, unfortunately after this step I would be aimless, I still don't know the requirements to become an official Magus." Leylin murmured.
Level 3 acolytes were vastly superior to their lower-ranked counterparts. Their spiritual force exceeded normal human limitations, and they had mastered techniques like instantaneous casting. Even Grand Knights were no match for them. Most acolytes spent years at this stage, refining their minds in preparation for the leap to becoming a true Magus.
But Leylin had no such intention of stagnation. He was going beyond.
"Breaking through requires mastery of two spell models, but I have already mastered three," he noted. "My Spiritual Force has reached the necessary threshold… and with the aid of the Reactive Elixirs and the blood crystal, my success is almost guaranteed."
His hand fell upon the blood crystal.
"Almost."
Leylin stripped off his robe, exposing his lean yet sturdy physique. His skin, tempered by countless hours of training and alchemical refinement, gleamed faintly under the dim light. He reached for the Reactive Elixir and began applying it to his body, smearing it over his face, arms, chest, and legs.
The cool sensation was fleeting. Within moments, an intense wave of heat erupted beneath his skin.
Hu! Hu!
His pores opened as his body absorbed the potion, his skin flushing a deep red. It felt as though his blood had ignited, rushing violently through his veins like molten lava.
Without hesitation, Leylin grabbed the blood crystal and crushed it between his fingers, activating the Blood Extraction ability of the Cursed Bloodline Codex.
Inside the mind-space of the Codex, a vast altar of pulsating flesh and veins came to life. The book, bound in human skin, vibrated as tendrils of blood slithered across its surface. A sinister incantation formed on Leylin's lips.
"Oh, Great Withering Mankestre, shadow of the dying past,
Your spirit slumbers in crimson vast,
Rise from the depths, your will be mine,
Through blood and pain, our fates align.
I call not flesh, nor bone, nor soul,
Only the power, the force untold,
Let it surge, let it swell,
Break the chains, my will compel!"
As the final word left his lips, the extraction began.
Leylin screamed.
A searing, unbearable itch spread through his bones, as if countless insects were burrowing out from within. His muscles twitched involuntarily, his body convulsing as the stolen Spiritual Force surged into him.
"Dorotte was right," Leylin realized through the haze of pain.
To reach Level 3, one had to remodel the Mind Runes. This process was agonizing—akin to tearing one's consciousness apart and reshaping it anew.
If he faltered now, if he lost focus, he would either fail or—worse—shatter his consciousness entirely.
But Leylin was prepared.
Through sheer willpower, he forced himself into a deep meditative state, diving into the depths of his mind.
Inside his consciousness, the physical world ceased to exist. He stood in a vast, grayish void, illuminated by countless floating runes, each glowing like distant stars.
Above him, twenty-four luminous symbols formed a circle—the Mind Runes he had painstakingly constructed over the years. These were the very foundation of his magic, the core of his consciousness. (Image)
But they were incomplete.
Leylin gazed upward, watching as a tangerine-yellow radiance surged through the misty void. This was the effect of the Reactive Elixir, influencing his Sea of Consciousness.
Then—
Boom!
A shockwave rippled through his mind. The golden light rushed towards the Mind Runes, attempting to dye them in its color.
Rejection!
The runes glowed violently, resisting the foreign influence. Leylin's consciousness shuddered under the impact, but he did not panic.
"Now!"
Channeling the stolen Spiritual Force from the Great Withering Mankestre's bloodline, he pushed forward, suppressing the rebellion of his runes.
Pain.
It was like a thousand needles piercing his mind. But he endured.
His spiritual force crashed into the resisting runes, forcing them to assimilate the new power. Slowly, one by one, they began to shift, evolving beyond their previous state.
The process was agonizing. Every breath felt like an eternity.
But finally—
Boom!
A final explosion shook his Sea of Consciousness. The runes fused together, solidifying into something stronger, denser, more refined.
Leylin's mind expanded, his consciousness surging forward, breaking past the limits of a Level 2 Acolyte.
Suddenly a few seconds later, the 24 mind runes all stopped resisting, and they were dyed a tangerine-yellow
Under the contamination of the light, the many mysterious patterns appeared on the surface of the mind runes.
These patterns continuously kept extending till they had completely covered the surface of all the mind runes.
* Bang! * The 24 mind runes finally stuck together, forming into an even greater rune.
In Leylin's sea of consciousness, many patterns also appeared. And after the presence of these patterns, the sea of consciousness turned even more resplendent and transparent, as if it were being reinforced.
After the reinforcement, as if listening to some command, the tangerine-yellow light hurriedly retreated, immediately vanishing in the sea of consciousness.
The large mysterious rune let off a glow, and Leylin's consciousness was pushed out from it.
"Is this the place? "
Leylin was cleared after initial confusion; he was in a mysterious place. The area was pitch-black, with no light whatsoever.
"The space of hypnos."
Leylin wanted to reach out, but there was no concept of "hands" as if he never had any hands before.
In this manner, he floated in the air with no concept of time, yet he couldn't move.
To Leylin, in this space, every minute was like a dozen years. (Image)
This feeling could completely drive a sane person over the cliff but Dorotte has warned Leylin of this situation.
'I have already advanced to Level 3 Acolyte in the real world, but my spiritual force is revolting."
Dorotte has advised him about this strange phenomenon and how to counter it, a normal wandering acolyte has no way of countering such a problem, they can only stabilize at Level 2 peak for years, sometimes even decades to avoid it but the perks of having a Magus teacher is that, Leylin's path is one of knowledge and experience drawn from a much accomplished individual. A real Magus.
Leylin closed his eyes and remembered Dorotte words, 'Use spell models constructed in your mind runes, to attack the space of hypnos. It would help elevate the spiritual force through the Collison of spells and sea of consciousness. The reagent would help stabilize the space. Bombard your spells and then, the force of balance between the destructive spells and the repairing reagent would help the ascension.'
Without a single thought, his mind stirred.
—Blood Mass!
A dark crimson sphere coalesced before him, pulsing with raw vitality, each throb sending tremors through the void. The airless silence was broken as the sphere burst, spraying scarlet tendrils outward, seeking to corrode the very fabric of this dimension.
The void retaliated. The darkness twisted, repairing itself, swallowing the corruption whole.
—Umbra Hands!
From the abyss, shadowed limbs emerged—twisted, spectral arms that clawed at the space itself. They raked and tore, unraveling unseen threads that bound the realm together. Fractures formed in the void, cracks that leaked a shimmering, distorted light.
But still, the void resisted. It healed just as fast as it was broken.
Leylin's spiritual force surged. His mind was reaching a new threshold.
He did not stop.
—Glacilis Lancea!
A spear of pure ice manifested in the emptiness. Unlike ordinary frost, it radiated with a cold so absolute it froze the very essence of space. With a mere command, it pierced forward, shattering through the void like a comet, forcing the darkness to scream in protest.
Now —The clash began.
The balance between destruction and restoration triggered a violent reaction in the Sea of Consciousness. Leylin could feel his mind expanding, his spiritual force stabilizing. The bombardment of spells had weakened the structure of the Space of Hypnos, and the stabilizing Reactive Elixir was reconstructing it in his favor.
A moment passed.
Then another.
The void shuddered—the first sign of collapse.
Leylin smirked.
In the physical world, Leylin's body convulsed violently before abruptly stilling.
A new aura radiated from him—strong, oppressive, carrying the unmistakable power of a Level 3 Acolyte.
His breathing steadied.
Leylin opened his eyes.
A faint red light flickered within his pupils, the last remnants of the bloodline extraction fading away.
He clenched his fists, feeling the enhanced spiritual force coursing through his veins. He was stronger—far stronger than before.
"Finally…" Leylin smiled.
This was only the beginning.