Chapter 203

Chapter 203

It was Monday, and I was in the classroom building where we had common classes. I stopped by the teacher’s office after all the common classes of the day were over.

“...What is this?”

“Uh, it’s an application for a club.”

“Yes, I know that.”

Mr. Effenhauser narrowed his eyebrows as he looked at the piece of paper I handed him. This man who rarely showed any emotion was frowning.

“If my eyes aren’t mistaken, it says ‘Magic Research Club.’”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“And it says the president is ‘Reinhart, Royal Class, Year 1, Class A, Number 11.’”

“That’s right.”

“And as far as I know, you are a superhuman with the ability of Self-Deception, and you are receiving close combat training.”

“Yes, sir.”

Mr. Effenhauser put the club formation application I handed him on his desk and looked up at me as he sat in his chair.

“...”

“...”

Mr. Effenhauser didn’t say anything, and neither did I.

Meeting his stare was genuinely terrifying. It had been a while since I’d felt this, like his gaze alone could make a mouse drop dead. Meeting Mr. Effenhauser’s intense glare made my legs tremble.

During the first semester, Mr. Effenhauser had let me try various things because I didn’t know what to do.

And now I was experimenting with magic? He had to be thinking that I was crazy.

“Teacher, please feel free to say it bluntly.”

‘Staring at me like that is even scarier!’

“Have you lost your mind?” Mr. Effenhauser asked.

“I’m completely fine, sir.”

This was probably the limit of Mr. Effenhauser’s restraint. He stared at me for a while, then pressed his fingertips against his eyelids and spoke as if he were spitting out the words.

“Then, explain it.”

If this was an ordinary screw-up like before, he wouldn’t have reacted this way.

‘No, it’s not like my screw-ups are ordinary in the first place. Maybe I’m just used to them.’

If I didn’t explain clearly, I might really get in trouble.

Did I finally succeed in pissing off the unyielding Effenhauser with my hidden talent to infuriate people?

‘No, it’s not that strange if you hear me out. It’s not a magic-less Magic Research Club or anything like that.’

“So, um, here’s the thing...”

I started to explain the situation in detail.

*

“Oh, so that’s how it is.”

Fortunately, after listening to my explanation, Mr. Effenhauser no longer looked as though he thought I was high on drugs. His eyes softened a bit, and I almost sighed in relief.

“I don’t want to do it either, but I’m forcing myself to do it.”

“If you don’t want to do it, why force yourself?”

“Well, there are some complicated reasons for that...”

“Are you being coerced?”

‘Yes! Honestly, I do think it’s coercion! Why do I have to be the president?’

I almost wanted to rat out this tyranny, but Mr. Effenhauser shook his head silently. “Hmm, you’re not someone who would be coerced, so you must have your own reasons.”

‘Oh... Yeah, I’m used to it by now. Living like this... I don’t even feel like denying it anymore.’

“The number of members is quite impressive, and the fact that there are students from both Class A and Class B involved is notable. Do you have any specific requirements for the club room or a supervising teacher?”

“No, please assign them as you see fit.”

“Very well, then I will inform you about the approval later.”

“Yes, sir.”

It was odd that the president of a magic club wasn’t a mage, but nearly all the members are either mages or very knowledgeable about magic. Therefore, there was no reason for the formation of this club to be denied.

Just as I was about to leave Mr. Effenhauser’s office, he called out to me.

“Number 11.”

“Yes?”

“...”

He stared at me silently for a while. After a brief pause, he added a short comment.

“One merit point.”

“... Thank you.”

Mr. Effenhauser didn’t bother to elaborate on why I deserved the merit point. He probably assumed I’d already understood the reason.

The merit points I received in the first semester had expired when the final grades for that semester were compiled. Honestly, I didn’t really care about my grades at the Temple, so I wasn’t too affected by it.

However, merit points weren’t only useful for grades. They could be used to offset disciplinary actions or demerit points. Although it hadn’t happened in the first semester, minor infractions could be nullified with merit points. They wouldn’t save me if I went overboard, of course, but minor mishaps could be whitewashed with merit points.

In other words, I now had a protective shield against penalties or disciplinary actions for the second semester.

*

Traits:

[Divine Spirit] - Increased resistance to mental magic

[Hero’s Lineage] - Greatly increased growth limits. Faster growth rate.

Skills:

[Control Demon C] (Archdemon exclusive ability)(Not usable in the current state.)

[Self-Deception C]

[Overall Ability Rating: Low-level Demon King]

[Combat Rating: B-]

My physical attributes had increased since the beginning of the semester, even though not much time had passed.

My growth rate seemed to have accelerated even more. It should have slowed down, but instead, it had increased significantly.

This was because of the Hero’s Lineage trait I shared with Ellen, which boosted my growth rate.

By the end of this semester, some of my stats might reach B-rank. To achieve a B- rank, they would need to hit at least 14, and that seemed entirely feasible.

Despite having two mana-related talents, the utility of my mana was still low.

Ultimately, this was an investment for the future.

However, this was not all.

[Talent - Mana Attunement]

[Talent - Mana Manipulation]

[Sub-talents are now prepared.]

[When Mana reaches A-rank, ‘Mana Attunement’ and ‘Mana Manipulation’ will evolve into ‘Mana Domination.’]

‘What the heck does that mean?’

The evolution of talents was a new concept.

I understood the idea of comprehensive talents, but evolution of talents through merging was a new scenario altogether. What could it possibly mean?

However, it was good news regardless. Having even a potential for something was better than having nothing at all.

At the moment, there were a total of four individuals in the Royal Class with comprehensive talents:

Ellen: Mana Domination and Weapon Mastery;

Cliffman: Combat;

Harriet: Magic;

Louis Ankton: Academics.

If I had to stretch it, there was also Dettomorian’s Sorcery, but comprehensive talents had incredible merit. Just one talent cost a thousand achievement points, while the comprehensive Magic talent alone was worth around 20,000 points.

‘But what’s the current situation?’

[Swordsmanship - 8,000 points]

After spending 1,000 points, 2,000 points, and 4,000 points, it now required 8,000 points to awaken a fourth talent. I had no clue what I’d need to do to earn that many points.

‘How much would a comprehensive talent cost now?’

[Magic - 50,000 points]

[Combat - 50,000 points]

[Weapon Mastery - 30,000 points]

[Academics - 30,000 points]

Although it wasn’t like they hadhadn’t doubled in price, they were still far more expensive than before. Even dreaming of buying a comprehensive talent with achievement points was out of the question.

There was also the potential comprehensive talent.

Mana Domination, which was a fusion of Mana Attunement and Mana Manipulation, was one of Ellen’s talents.

[Mana Domination - 50,000 points]

Among the comprehensive talents, it was a top-tier talent, on par with Magic and Combat.

Mana Attunement and Mana Manipulation were universal talents necessary for all activities involving mana. Mages needed it, and those who aimed to master close combat also needed it.

After that was Mana Domination, an even higher-tier talent. It allowed for more than just Mana Reinforcement; it could potentially lead to an individual reaching Master rank with relative ease.

However, the requirements are stringent. An A-rank in mana.

In other words, it seems to imply that, once an individual reached an A-rank in mana, their understanding and control over mana would become strong enough for the talent to forcibly evolve.

Even Vertus, who had the talents of Mana Attunement and Mana Manipulation, did not have an A-rank in Mana. If Vertus reached an A-rank in Mana, would he then acquire the Mana Domination talent?

Truthfully, from the first time I’d met Ellen, she’d already had an A-rank in mana. Ellen’s mana capacity was monstrous.

That meant Mana Domination wasn’t an innate talent, but one that blossomed when specific conditions were met.

At the moment, my mana was at 13, a C+ rank.

The subsequent rank classification would be as follows:

14-15 (B-), 16-17 (B), 18-19 (B+), 20-22 (A-), 23-25 (A), 26-30 (A+)

My mana would have to increase by 10 to reach A-rank.

While my mana now sat at 13, it had started at 9.9.

It had increased by 3.1 so far, and even the yoga master teacher considered this rapid.

My mana had increased by 3 over six months, so if I continued at that rate, it would take until the year after next to increase by another 10. Of course, if I focused more on mana growth, that could change.

Anyway, new goals kept appearing like mushrooms after the rain, and unexpected objectives also emerged.

A new talent, and the evolution of talents...

Mana Domination was the most necessary talent for me right now.