Ch.221Chapter 221: Age of Chaos (5)

# Chapter 221: Age of Chaos (5)

Academy dormitory, Valt’s room.

After closing the system window, Valt sat in his chair and closed his eyes. The changes he felt within his body were marvelous.

Strength 500, Intelligence 105, Mana 340. Physical power, magical power, and intelligence—he felt like he had become a monster with perfect balance.

Especially the sensation of his physical power being amplified and flowing as mana through the amulet was still unfamiliar, but it hinted at tremendous potential.

His fists, now free from the “Do Not Harm” restriction, came with a new awareness that he could now truly destroy his opponents.

His goal was clear.

‘Circle, I need to raise my circle.’

To control and truly utilize this overflowing mana and new possibilities, he needed a higher magic circle.

Just then—

BANG—!

Suddenly, the door to Valt’s room was roughly flung open.

Startled, Valt opened his eyes to see Lilith standing there with her red eyes, her face flushed with agitation. Confusion and shock were mixed in her gaze.

“Huff, huff, Lord Valt! What… what on earth happened!?”

Lilith asked, gasping for breath. The powerful mana of an 8th circle magician fluctuated unstably throughout her body.

She seemed to have sensed something unusual about Valt and rushed here.

Valt was momentarily puzzled by her appearance but soon realized her reaction was due to the changes that had occurred within him.

Valt and Lilith, connected by a soul contract.

For Lilith, this situation must have felt abnormal and confusing.

Valt stood up and spoke in a calm voice.

“Lilith. Calm down. It’s nothing serious.”

“Nothing serious?! This, this is like… a mana surge…! Are you really okay?! If something happens to you, I, I would—!”

Lilith’s voice rose. Through their soul contract, she was vividly sensing the internal energy storm within Valt.

Valt decided to explain everything to her. He needed her help as well.

Though some embellishment was necessary.

“Sit down for a moment. I have something to explain.”

Lilith still looked shocked, but somewhat calmed by Valt’s composed attitude, she sat down in the chair.

Valt explained the system window to Lilith by describing it as something like an artifact.

The appearance of a blue window in the air, and how it gave him power.

Given the existence of many unbelievable artifacts, as Valt continued his explanation, Lilith began to believe it.

“So it’s like… an artifact of divine revelation?”

“Yes, something like that. I’ve been reluctant to use it because I thought my fate was being controlled by it, but now I’ve decided to accept it.”

“…Fate… is it.”

Valt nodded slightly.

Of course, he hadn’t told her everything about the system, but he had conveyed all the core aspects of the physical and magical changes that had occurred to him.

He especially emphasized that his mana had increased dramatically, making his current mana capacity too vast to control.

Lilith’s expression changed from shock to astonishment as she listened to Valt’s story.

“Even so, such changes are… truly…”

Lilith couldn’t finish her sentence.

Valt continued.

“The problem is this amount of mana. It increased too suddenly, so my control isn’t perfect. And to properly use this power, I need a higher magic circle. The 5th circle is insufficient to contain all this vast mana.”

He expressed the difficulty of controlling his mana and the necessity of raising his circle.

“What do you think, Lilith? Can you help me control this mana?”

But Lilith’s response was negative.

“To some extent maybe… but not completely. Unless you reach at least the 9th circle…”

It seemed that methods to stabilize mana were only possible with the 9th circle, the pinnacle of a magician’s path.

“I’ve heard there’s a 9th circle magician at this academy. I need to ask for their help. To control this mana and find a way to break through the 9th circle barrier.”

Lilith nodded at Valt’s words.

She instinctively knew that Valt’s current mana state was difficult to handle even for her as an 8th circle magician. The help of a 9th circle magician was desperately needed.

Among the 9th circle professors at the academy, Elder Master Aaron, the highest authority in mana control and applied magic, became Valt’s destination.

Even amid the academy’s emergency situation, Valt and Lilith requested a meeting with Professor Aaron.

The atmosphere had somewhat calmed down from the chaos.

The 9th circle magician showed interest in this strange combination of visitors: a 5th circle magician and an 8th circle vampire princess connected by a soul contract.

Elder Master Aaron’s research office.

Professor Aaron, who taught upper-grade classes, was an old man with white hair, but his eyes were sharp and wise.

Books and magical tools were piled around him. He seemed to have been immersed in research despite the chaos at the academy.

“Professor Aaron,”

Valt said respectfully. Lilith also stood beside him.

“I’ve come to seek your help.”

Professor Aaron observed the two young magicians for a moment.

His eyebrow twitched slightly at the energy he sensed from Valt.

He had heard Valt was a 5th circle magician, but the mana capacity he sensed was extraordinary.

“Help… For a student to seek me out directly during such an emergency, it must not be an ordinary matter.”

Professor Aaron said. His voice mixed experience and curiosity.

“Let me hear it. What’s the matter?”

Valt explained his situation once more.

As objectively as possible, focusing on magical facts. The sudden surge in mana capacity, the resulting difficulty in control, and the need to improve mana control and utilization abilities.

He explained that the sudden increase in mana was due to incorrectly consuming an artifact.

Professor Aaron’s eyes narrowed.

“Hmm… Normally, recklessly consuming such artifacts would cause one’s body to explode… Yet you’re enduring it comfortably… Impressive physique. You must have been desperate. But tell me in detail about your current physical condition.”

Professor Aaron mistakenly assumed that Valt could withstand this mana amplification because he was a Gerungtu.

Lilith, standing beside him, supplemented the explanation or answered the professor’s questions by sensing Valt’s energy state through their soul contract.

A physical monster with a soul contract with a vampire princess and an abnormal mana state… Professor Aaron’s expression gradually changed to one of astonishment as he listened to Valt’s story.

His eyes flashed with intellectual interest, surprise, and caution. Such a case was unheard of even in magical history.

“Hmm, may I examine your body?”

“Of course, Professor.”

He began to directly diagnose Valt’s mana circuits.

The paths through which mana flowed, its quantity and density.

His surprise grew as he diagnosed.

Valt’s mana capacity was beyond what even an 8th circle magician could imagine, let alone a 5th circle one. Yet that vast mana was uncontrolled and chaotically mixed.

The magic circle barrier remained solid, but behind it, potential was ready to explode.

“Ahem… Remarkable. With this much mana, you should have already reached the 9th circle. You haven’t defined it yet.”

Valt’s eyes widened as he asked.

“Definition?”

Professor Aaron’s explanation was this:

To rise beyond the 8th circle to the 9th, one needs strong conviction and definition of one’s magical system.

After his diagnosis, Professor Aaron spoke. His voice became serious.

“You did well to seek me out. This unstable flow and explosive mana. I can help you. After all, I am known as ‘Aaron of the Lake.’ Heh heh.”

Professor Aaron looked at Lilith.

“Princess Lilith. Your sensing through the soul contract will be necessary. You can sense Valt’s mana flow more delicately than anyone. I will provide the theory and methods, and you must help guide and stabilize Valt’s mana flow by sensing his internal state.”

Lilith didn’t hesitate.

“Understood, Professor. I will help Lord Valt.”

Valt bowed his head. It was something he couldn’t do alone. Their help was essential.

“I’m sorry for the trouble, Professor.”

Professor Aaron replied with a kind smile.

“Heh heh, at my age, one tends to become indifferent to most things. But something this interesting has come up, so I should be the one thanking you.”

Despite the emergency situation, Professor Aaron had a laid-back personality, believing that such is the way of the world.

The Magician of the Lake. A nickname perfectly matching his temperament, reminiscent of a calm lake.

He guided Valt and Lilith to the magic training ground next to his research office.

The training ground was a safe space isolated from the outside. This was where the mana stabilization work would begin.

Professor Aaron taught methods for expanding magic circuits for circle expansion, essential techniques for mana control, and mental concentration methods needed to break through barriers.

Lilith placed her hands on Valt’s body and delicately sensed his seemingly rampaging mana flow through their soul contract.

Through their connected senses, she informed Professor Aaron of points where mana entangled and unstable sections, and sometimes flowed her own mana into Valt to stabilize the flow or guide its direction.

Valt himself desperately tried to control his chaotic mana with his will, following Professor Aaron’s instructions.

The process of integrating physical power-based mana through physical magic with his mana circuits required concentration beyond imagination.

It was like steering a small boat in a massive storm.

The circle expansion process was painful and demanded focus.

How much time had passed?

They concentrated solely on the world of magic and mind, forgetting the external chaos.

Lilith’s face had already grown pale with exhaustion, and Professor Aaron had also consumed a considerable amount of mana in this unusual training.

But Valt’s mana remained fierce, and the magic circle barrier stubbornly held until the last moment.

Valt’s firm mind, however, did not easily tire.

And then, after an indeterminate amount of time had passed—