Chapter 17: Chapter 17: System's Magical Magnetism

Elio smiled in satisfaction as he retrieved his lance from the training target. He had hit ten shots in a row dead center, surpassing his personal best.

The cool metal of the weapon felt reassuring in his hands, a testament to how far he'd come.

His aim was already quite good, but he still had one problem to solve.

Although the high-level magical spears he needed to defeat the fourth-level monster were not disposable, once embedded in the target, they would become unusable until retrieved.

If they didn't knock the beast out of the air in a single blow, the spears would remain stuck and ineffective.

Members of the families carried at least eight lances each time, relying on that number of hits to eventually fell the beast. But Elio had no way to afford eight top-level magical lances, and though the families had dozens, he couldn't borrow any without revealing his plan.

He would have to find a way to recover his single lance after each throw without needing to fly himself to reach the monster.

Von Lucien had told him.

Even level 4 air control was not near enough to lift a person more than a meter high... Jumping with strength 3 or 4 was much better than that.

Also the mana cost would likely be too high once possible... Not like it mattered for his lvl 3 self.

As he prepared to return to his quarters that evening, Elio pondered this dilemma. Suddenly, a faint glimmer caught his attention.

He stopped and curiously examined the small pieces of the broken mechanism that propelled the lance on launch.

When unused it was a nickel cylinder housing compressed oxygen as an explosive charge.

Von Lucien's lessons on its construction and mana-charging echoed in his mind.

But this... This had nothing to do with that.

Something on the metallic surface was glimmering strangely in the evening sun, or was it really a reflection of light?

Elio's brow furrowed as he rubbed the cylinder with his fingers, watching the glow intensify. He moved it up and down, left and right, his eyes narrowing as he tried to discern a pattern in the strange dance of light.

The nickel fragments seemed to quiver, as if alive, drawn by an unseen force.

Intrigued, Elio sank to the ground, cross-legged, and began examining that strange phenomenon in more detail.

Hours slipped by unnoticed as he immersed himself in this new mystery. Gradually, he began to discern some of its properties.

The glow was more intense when the nickel moved in certain directions and weaker in others. It also seemed to be affected by the presence of some objects more than others.

Stone and wood left it unaffected, but metals, especially his lance, caused significant changes.

Elio's heart raced as he realized this went beyond simple light and shadow.

There seemed to be some invisible force or field acting on the nickel.

"I'm sorry, friends, it's been a complicated... Few weeks."

"Complicated?" Ren snorted. "More like you've been completely avoiding us. What's got you so absorbed? It's way worse than your spear-thrower obsession."

Elio hesitated, torn between his desire to share his discoveries and the need for secrecy. "It's a new project," he said carefully, "a potential strategy to aid Von Lucien."

Brok raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Strategy? What kind of strategy requires locking yourself away for hours playing with scraps of metal?"

Elio's jaw tightened. Had they been spying on him? Before he could respond, Kriz intervened with a snort.

"It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter if you want to cover those balls in a metal coating. We're your friends, Elio, we won't judge you no matter your tastes. Buuut, do you remember the promise you made us?"

Elio shifted uncomfortably, his left eye twitching at their damn stupid balls joke again. But the promise he made them, he remembered it perfectly, of course.

After conquering the third level, he'd sworn to help prepare them for their own attempts. But months had passed, and he'd let that commitment slip away, buried under the weight of his obsession.

"You're right, but not about the stupid balls thing... I'm sorry," he apologized sincerely. "I've been so focused on my own training that I've lost sight of everything else. But that changes now. I made a promise, and I intend to keep it."

His friends' expressions softened slightly at his sincerity, though a hint of skepticism remained. Elio vowed silently to make amends, to find a balance between his research and his friendships.

He couldn't let his obsession with the fourth level alienate him from living his life.

Just then, a messenger arrived, panting and flustered. "Soldiers!" he called out, saluting hastily. "I bring important news from the Families. They've decided to support the preparation of 10,000 soldiers for the third level challenge!"

Everyone's eyes widened in surprise at those words. It was certainly unusual for the families to organize something on such a large scale...

The messenger caught his breath and continued:

"From each of the 1,000 god's punishment towers, ten level two soldiers will be selected to challenge the third level monster. Those who accept will be provided with a disposable fire sword as support."

A heavy silence fell over the group as they processed that information.

Even though a free sword was a heaven's sent gift, Elio frowned, suddenly feeling uneasy. Something about that announcement didn't sit right with him.

"A... fire sword?" Kriz was the first to speak, letting out an incredulous laugh. "Is this a joke? Are they really going to give 1000 points to each soldier who participates?"

Brok's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "It doesn't make sense. The Families aren't known for their generosity. Why now?"

The messenger shrugged. "I have not been informed of the reasons behind this decision. I only have orders to deliver the announcement."

Elio remained silent, his mind whirling. Could the breach situation be that bad? No, that didn't make sense. First they'd make them contribute more points per day, right?

Suddenly, a dark thought crossed his mind. Only 40% of soldiers attempting the third level would succeed. Maybe he'd need to discuss his father's strategy with the Summoner soon.

"I need to see Von Lucien," Elio announced abruptly, his voice tight with urgency. "This... this doesn't feel right."

Kriz frowned in concern. "Don't you think you should wash up then, before going to lic... see the Summoner?"