Chapter 185: Last Power Up Before the Final Battle

Fully immersed in his meditation, Victor sat cross-legged in the dimly lit room deep beneath the academy, completely detached from the abovementioned chaos. Around him, the intermediate-grade mana crystals, once vibrant with energy, now lay in piles of dust. Slowly, Victor opened his eyes, a faint purple light shimmering within them.

“Finally, my third sigil!”

This time, Victor formed his third sigil at his solar plexus, and its energy coursed through his body like a surging river. It was as if his entire body felt renewed and his cells thrummed with vitality and strength from the Cosmo element etched into the sigil.

“Still, to think I’d become a third-sigil Elemental Adept so soon,” Victor murmured. This advancement would place him as a solid mid-tier among Elemental Adept Magi. But for someone who mastered esoteric Cosmo-elemental spells like him, his combat prowess wouldn’t pale in comparison to even peak Elemental Adept Magi.

Thanks to the reward of the recent main mission, his meditation technique comprehension was propelled to the very limit of the second sub-level, leaving him teetering on the verge of a breakthrough. Still, that alone wouldn’t have been enough. The reason that he was able to pull this through was the High-Grade Mana Aptitude Enhancement Elixir.

Victor flexed his hands, feeling the power surging within him. Every aspect of his being had been enhanced, and his comprehension of the Cosmo element seemed sharper and more attuned than ever before.

Without hesitation, he activated his Master Shadowlink Mark to see his improved stats.

Victor Asteriscus

HP: 100%

MP: 1044/1044

Power Rank: Third-sigil Elemental Adept Magus | Ki Initial

Elemental Affinity: Cosmo (96% → 97%) | Anemo (82%) | Pyro (57%)

Mana Aptitude: Advanced bright grade

Meditation Technique: Omni-Elemental Fusion Method (third sub-level, 0%)

Breathing Technique: No name (first level)

Status: Healthy

Strength: (36 → 38)

Agility: (37 → 38)

Vitality: (36 → 38)

Magical Power: (48 → 50)

Infused Mana (total): (868 → 1044)

Spell Repertoire:

• Aleph: {Blink Step}, {Spatial Mirage}, {Slicing Wind}, {Zephyr Dash}, {Tempest Burst}, {Wind Guard}, {Flame Whip}, {Flame Dart}, {Flame Prison}, {Ember Shield}, {Heat Wave}, {Demonic Eye}, {Mind Programming}

• Bet: {Warpblade}, {Blink}, {Gap Hole}, {Ethereal State}, {Volcanic Spear}, {Tempest Gale}, {Blazing Burst}, {Curse of Nightmare}, {Indomitable Will}

“Ninety-seven percent! Holy shit!” Victor exclaimed, his voice echoing in the basement. With these many improvements, his chances of resolving the undead invasion issue and defeating the mastermind had risen significantly.

But as much as his power had increased, he knew deep down that even this wasn’t enough. The scale of the invasion was colossal, and the Death Knight leading the charge was a foe beyond ordinary means. So, what kind of a being that could command such a force? They would definitely be beyond imagination even with many advantages on Victor’s side.

Victor then stood, brushing dust from his robes. There was still some lingering faint mana in the air from the mana crystals, but he paid it no mind. He had work to do.

Ascending from the basement, he made his way toward his office. Suddenly, Lizbeth’s small figure appeared, fluttering toward him with her usual exuberance.

“Master! You’re back!” she chimed. “How did it go? Did you manage to advance?”

“Of course! Who do you think I am?” Victor replied, a proud smile crossing his face.

“Mm, I never expected anything less.” Lizbeth nodded and quickly continued in an urgent voice, “Oh right, I need to tell you that the Death Knight and the undead army have breached the western wall. But the reinforcements have arrived, and Roland, too, has already been sent out to hold back the Death Knight.”

“Good, good, good. Everything is going according to plan.” Victor steepled his fingers as he contemplated things.

Be that as it might, this situation couldn’t be left unchecked for long. He needed to act quickly. “In any case, I need to go meet Eleanor.”

“Eleanor?” Lizbeth tilted her head. “Ah, I see! Well, you should hurry. She’s been working on something big and hasn’t left her workshop in days, even though there’s practically a fire raging in her own backyard!”

Victor nodded, already turning to leave. “I’ll check in with her. Stay here and keep monitoring the situation. Let me know if anything critical happens.”

“You can count on me, Master!” Lizbeth gave him a salute before breaking into a playful giggle. “Good luck. I believe in you!”

***

Victor arrived at the door to Eleanor’s workshop. The industrial zone was quite far away from the western wall, but even at this distance, he could feel the tremor and see the chaos of battle between the players’ side, including the mechanical golems and the arachnid horde, against the undead army. Fortunately, the players had managed to regain some control, setting up makeshift defensive lines to hold back the stray undead breaking through.

As for the Death Knight, he could detect strong mana fluctuations in the distance, likely one or two kilometers away. Roland had clearly lured the Death Knight far from the academy, sparing the players from being caught in the devastating crossfire between two Elemental Adept beings that could easily kill acolytes.

But this can’t go for long, Victor thought with a grim expression. The players are resourceful, but they’re stretched thin.

He had checked the Academy Inhabitant List earlier and found that more than a third of the total player base had perished in this war, and the number was climbing with each passing minute. It wouldn’t be long before the entirety of the player base was wiped out. Worse still, it could take a couple of months for the incubation pods to bring the dead players back to life.

Putting the concerning thought aside, he inhaled deeply, steadying his thoughts before pushing the workshop door open. Immediately, a wave of hot, metallic air wafted at his face. The room was cluttered with tools and equipment, every surface occupied by unfinished projects or complex blueprints — seemingly the work of players or Eleanor herself.

Not a single player was present. Everyone was likely at the frontlines, contributing to the defenses.

At the center of the workshop, Eleanor stood hunched over a massive contraption, her welding torch sparking as she worked with precise movements.

Victor stepped inside, the door clicking shut behind him. “I see that you’re busy working on something.”

Eleanor glanced over her shoulder, a faint smirk playing on her lips. “Ha! ‘Busy’ isn’t even close to the right word for it. You’ve got great timing, though, Patron. I’ve just finished what you asked for, and I was about to test something that might just save your precious academy.”

Intrigued, Victor walked closer toward her and his attention was drawn to the large construct she was working on. To his surprise, it was a large mechanical golem painted in a dull brown with metallic accents. Its design was striking — a knight-like frame with a bulky, armored torso, a helmet-shaped head adorned with a star-shaped marking, and small, segmented, ring-like limbs. The design seemed to prioritize mobility and agility over raw strength. Two protruding exhaust pipes extended from its back, giving it a distinctly steampunk aesthetic.

“A mechanical golem?” Victor raised an eyebrow. Eleanor creating a mechanical golem was certainly impressive, but what could a single mechanical golem accomplish in a battle of this scale?

“Oh, this is no ordinary golem!” Eleanor declared proudly, puffing her chest. “Y’see, this baby can actually be piloted. You control it from the inside. It’s an idea suggested by some of your acolytes, and I found it fascinating. Unfortunately, time’s too tight, so its practicality — and, uh, safety — haven’t exactly been tested yet.”

Victor blinked, momentarily taken aback. Seriously? Are you trying to make a mech? He swallowed hard as surprise flickered across his face.

Controlling a golem from the inside wasn’t a novel thing in this world. Take Rolan, for example, he could create a towering earthen golem that he could control from the inside. But this was different. It was a wholly mechanical construct, powered by engineering and magic rather than pure elemental force.

It was obvious Eleanor had drawn heavy inspiration from the mechanical golems Victor had previously lent to her. However, the players’ influence was clear in its design, as it was strangely familiar and was heavily inspired by the mechs found in Earth’s fiction. But the same question remained: What could a single, pilotable mechanical golem do to change the course of the war?

Victor traced the runes etched along the golem’s surface with his finger, studying its intricate craftsmanship. “Since you claim this can turn the tide of battle, I assume you have a reason for such confidence?”

“Of course! Don’t underestimate me.” Eleanor huffed. But her bravado quickly softened as she scratched the back of her head sheepishly. “Well… it’s also partly another one of my apprentice’s ideas.” She fidgeted slightly before continuing, “So, this golem will carry a payload of powerful explosives. One of the players will pilot it into the enemy ranks and— boom! Massive destruction!”

“I see…” So, it’s basically a suicide bombing…

“One of your acolytes called Aphrodite called it ‘dy-na-mit.’ Apparently, it’s incredibly explosive, even more than black powder. If we amplify it with runes and mana crystals, the detonation should be strong enough to level a large area,” Eleanor explained further.

Sure, the plan could indeed be viable as a last resort. But Victor had no intention of blowing up part of the academy grounds with something so destructive. Besides, it would only wipe their first wave, leaving the subsequent waves intact. Not to mention that his all-out spell, powered up by his sigil, could likely achieve the same effect with less collateral damage.

“Well, let’s hope we never have to use that,” Victor said, waving his hand dismissively. “For now, the plan should be put on the back burner—”

“I know, right? Sacrificing this beauty for something as crude as that plan is outrageous!” Eleanor exclaimed, thrusting her fist into the air with righteous indignation.

Uh… that’s not really what I meant, but whatever.

“I don’t quite get it, though,” Eleanor added. “Most people would shy away from sacrificing themselves, but why are these acolytes so eager to volunteer for it?” She held her chin thoughtfully, closing her eyes as if pondering a profound mystery. “I mean, I’ve seen some of them who have died mysteriously reappear a few days later… How is that even possible?! Wait, if I die, can I be resurrected as well?” She turned to Victor, her eyes wide and brimming with hope.

“Stupid. Of course not! If you die, you die,” was what Victor almost blurted out, but he stopped himself just in time. Clearing his throat, he straightened his posture. “Well, no… Ahem. Anyway, do you have what I asked you to make?”

“Ah, right.” Eleanor snapped back to attention, opened a wooden box beside her, and pulled out a finely crafted, blue ornate Magus robe. The fabric shimmered faintly, with runes woven seamlessly into its design. “Here it is. Max specs, just as you asked.”

“Great, thank you very much.” Victor took the Magus robe, then slipped it on after stowing his old acolyte robe into his interspatial ring. The new robe fit him perfectly, and he could immediately feel the difference — the enchantments woven into it greatly empowered him, far superior to the modest protection of his old robe.

“Hear me out, Patron. This robe has three layers of defensive enchantments — anti-magic warding, elemental resistance, and kinetic impact absorption. Compared to your old acolyte robe, this one has five times the durability and twice the charm.”

She pointed at the runes etched into the fabric, tracing them with her finger. “See these? They’re reinforced with mana-amplification circuits, which means you’ll get a boost when casting low-rank spells. Furthermore, its self-repairing ability is three times faster than typical acolyte robes.”

“Sounds like you didn’t cut any corners.”

“Obviously!” Eleanor smugly puffed out her chest. “I’d never let my patron walk around in second-rate gear. Besides, that old robe of yours is long overdue. It was practically an insult to your status. You’re welcome.”

Victor chuckled softly. “Fair enough. I’ll admit, this is a huge upgrade. You’ve done well. But I have to go now.”

“Don’t mention it,” Eleanor replied with a toothy smile. “All right, I know what you’re going to do. Hopefully, we can get through this.”

“Mm. Everything’s gonna be okay, I will work something out.”

Chapter 184 | Chapter 186