The next morning, after waking and handling chores, Locke retrieved the completed Level 5 synthesized item from the Horadric Synthesis Cube.
The Level 5 Deep Blue Jade was only slightly larger than the Level 4 version, with no significant changes.
Locke infused it with mana, finding little difference from the Level 4 Deep Blue Jade.
In his dormitory, Locke showed no disappointment; he had anticipated this.
The synthesis formulas for the Horadric Synthesis Cube required...
2025-07-25 03:55:09 +0000 UTC
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Locke practiced the Mana Centrifugal Extraction Method with ordinary water for an entire afternoon.
He didn’t stop because he had mastered it; after all, it was a skill that required practice.
Talent mattered, but so did time spent practicing.
The more practice, the greater the proficiency and success.
However, since Alder had opened his wooden box, the frost rune had expired, leaving no time for Locke to further practice the Mana Centrifugal Extraction Method.
2025-07-25 03:54:45 +0000 UTC
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Professor Alder’s tone was cold, almost mechanical. “If conditions allowed, we should extract the blood from a living specimen. Using low-temperature negative pressure would better preserve the stone crab’s blood.”
He used specialized dissection tools to extract pure blood from the crab’s storage areas, dividing it into three portions and drawing them into three syringes.
Then, Professor Alder injected the stone crab blood from one syringe and one bloodline isolation ess...
2025-07-25 03:54:20 +0000 UTC
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In his office, Professor Alder saw Locke and paused, then broke into a sincere smile, showing some gratitude. “Locke, you’re here.”
Seeing Locke standing at the office door, unwilling to step inside, Alder smiled, turned to the three students copying historical texts, and said, “Keep working.”
“Come, Locke, let’s go somewhere else.”
“A safer place.”
After they left, the three students in the office exchanged glances, including Cohen Julian.
Pa...
2025-07-25 03:53:56 +0000 UTC
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Fearing Locke might change his mind, Professor Alder shoved a material list and preparation process into his hands and left without looking back. “Come find me within the week. I’ll welcome you, dear Locke.”
Locke frowned at the black leather notebook, noticing blood-like stains on its cover. After a moment’s thought, he tucked it away and hurried to Dean Tongus’s office.
Alder’s deal was indeed tempting.
Mastering another spell and boosting his mental strength b...
2025-07-25 03:53:35 +0000 UTC
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Locke left his dormitory, walking through the elegant corridors of the academy and passing the beautiful garden. There, he spotted Cohen Julian and his lackeys.
Locke frowned. In the past year and three months, Cohen Julian and his group had gained significant attention.
During this time, the Frankish Empire had defeated the combined forces of the remaining four kingdoms three times and invaded the Bain Kingdom.
Only three of the seven kingdoms remained, alongside the Franki...
2025-07-25 03:53:12 +0000 UTC
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The arrival of the Augustine family was merely a brief interlude, and Locke soon returned to his daily routine of intense study.
Time passed quickly. Winter turned to spring, and Locke had spent one year and three months at Aurelian Academy.
In Locke's dormitory, he had finished reading all nine books on the Vine Hand spell.
On his windowsill, a potted Mandrake Vine had grown from a single seed into a green vine about three meters long.
Under Locke's daily infusion of ...
2025-07-25 03:52:51 +0000 UTC
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At that moment, Professor Alder's appearance had changed dramatically.
Once refined and elegant, Professor Alder now resembled a stubborn and harsh old man, his face darkened, exuding a strong aura of death.
Locke quickly left the area.
Over the past six months, the increasing number of student deaths linked to working for Professor Alder had led many at Aurelian Academy to suspect something was wrong with him.
However, no matter what happened, no matter how many died,...
2025-07-25 03:52:30 +0000 UTC
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Dean Tongus returned to his residence.
He looked at the three students, pleased with their progress. Patty Aisa and Kode Newman advanced steadily, but Locke’s speed slightly exceeded his expectations.
Initially, Tongus worried that without financial pressure, Locke might revert to laziness, needing a nudge.
But after months together, he dismissed that concern.
Among his three apprentices, Locke had the highest talent and worked the hardest.
Now, Tongus gazed at...
2025-07-25 03:51:59 +0000 UTC
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Six months later.
In Dean Tongus’s residence, Locke, Patty Aisa, and Kode Newman sat together, studying.
Due to Aurelian Academy’s limited magical teaching resources, Tongus alone taught all their courses, despite their differences.
Locke couldn’t complain; his courses were discounted, requiring only ten magic stones instead of over a hundred.
The teaching quality had minor flaws, but it was acceptable.
Locke had grown close to Patty and Kode.
Both we...
2025-07-25 03:51:35 +0000 UTC
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Locke returned to his dormitory at dusk.
The dorm was quieter than the morning, as nearby rooms, occupied by Anjouans, had emptied over the past few days.
Those students had been forced to leave the academy.
With the Frankish Empire conquering Anjou, Aurelian Academy’s annual intake would drop by at least a seventh.
Alone in his dorm, Locke opened the first book and read avidly through the night, enthralled and enlightened.
It was his introduction to the wizard...
2025-07-25 03:51:15 +0000 UTC
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Locke hesitated but chose not to reveal his dual primary elemental affinities.
It tied to his transmigration secret.
His dark element talent, only Level 3, wouldn’t significantly alter his profile.
The benefit of disclosing it was minimal.
In this wizarding world, he knew too little. Carelessly revealing information could bring deadly consequences.
Tongus said, “Supplying wizard prospects to organizations benefits us apprentices stationed on Corfu Island.”<...
2025-07-25 03:50:55 +0000 UTC
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Dean Tongus turned, walking to a corner of the reception room, a gray brick wall with nowhere to go.
But he softly muttered a phrase, reached into a brick, and pulled out a special glass bottle containing a vibrant green potion, speckled with starry glimmers.
Hesitating, Tongus carefully uncorked the bottle.
The Emerald Element Potion, extremely rare and costly, required Aurelian Academy’s rigorous selection to minimize its use.
Tongus dripped a drop of Locke’s blo...
2025-07-25 03:50:36 +0000 UTC
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Evening.
Two days after tutoring with Patty Aisa, Locke bid her farewell, left the dormitory, and headed to Dean Tongus’s residence.
At the academy, deans and professors had private suites and received generous monthly stipends.
The academy’s tuition was exorbitant, after all.
But a few steps down the corridor, Locke saw Angel approaching, dressed in a linen-lined white wool skirt.
Her face showed fatigue, with heavy dark circles, as if she hadn’t slept in ...
2025-07-25 03:50:12 +0000 UTC
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Inside Aurelian Academy’s dormitory.
The dorms housed two students per room, fully furnished, but now only Locke was present.
His roommate, another Anjouan and son of an earl, had already withdrawn due to financial strain.
The room was silent, perfect for Locke’s task.
He retrieved the Level 2 synthesized item from the Horadric Cube. With a grip in the air, the cube spun, sparks flying like a bursting galaxy, dazzling and magnificent.
Rays of light converged ...
2025-07-25 03:49:49 +0000 UTC
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Aurelian Academy, ancient linguistics classroom.
Dean Tongus stood at the podium, lecturing on runic script. Most students were half-asleep, distracted, or quietly doing other things.
Only a few, mostly commoners or lesser nobles, listened attentively.
If this weren’t Dean Tongus’s class, over half the room would be empty.
The indulgent second and third sons of nobility wouldn’t sit patiently, waiting for the bell.
Dean Tongus turned, scanning the room. His...
2025-07-25 03:49:24 +0000 UTC
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In the academy corridor.
Locke was pondering ways to break his predicament when the history teacher, Alder Franklin, suddenly appeared.
Alder Franklin, about sixty, wore a black eyepatch over his left eye and gold-rimmed glasses over his right.
A student accompanied him.
Locke recognized her instantly: Angel McLincoln, the youngest daughter of Viscount McLincoln from southern Anjou Kingdom.
She and the original Locke had been part of the same social circle at the...
2025-07-25 03:49:03 +0000 UTC
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Aurelian Academy.
Red brick grounds, cloistered corridors, graceful fountains, and noble white marble statues, along with four three-story buildings painted in creamy white.
This is the most prestigious academy among the seven kingdoms on the continent of Corfu. Countless nobles, whether wealthy earls, distinguished dukes, or supreme kings, send their second sons to this academy.
Admission to this academy is, in itself, a mark of high nobility.
For children of lesser n...
2025-07-25 03:48:31 +0000 UTC
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Kara knew little about Gotham.
Only that Arkham Asylum was infamous, housing many mentally unstable metahumans. It was both prison and hospital, perfect for Ian’s mental state, where he should stay a few days.
“Hm? Cousin’s got ties with Arkham?” Ian frowned, suspecting Kara wanted to use him to boost her performance and snag a kickback from Gotham’s Batman.
“I just want you to act normal!” Kara caught Ian’s suspicious look, slapping her forehead, her express...
2025-07-24 07:49:11 +0000 UTC
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Few cards to play?
This likely tied to the big shot’s reluctance to see Superman die, coaxing and tricking Ian to solve the issue to prevent his death.
As Ian pondered this, the world’s colors surged back, sounds flooding his ears. Kara “came alive,” exhaling the breath held during the pause.
“So~”
Kara, oblivious to the freeze, picked up where her thoughts left off, eyeing her dinner, now swept clean by Ian, with slight resentment.
“You awakened po...
2025-07-24 07:48:39 +0000 UTC
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The world fell silent.
Even the light from the apartment lobby’s chandelier seemed frozen. Such power, Ian realized, wasn’t something an ordinary reaper could wield.
Blame his low Intelligence stat, unable to sustain his brilliance, causing his wisdom to glitch at non-critical moments.
As Ian lamented inwardly.
Fake Tessa’s stark black-and-white eyes narrowed, staring at him. Her frown seemed to age her from an 18-year-old to a 28-year-old big sister.
Ian...
2025-07-24 07:48:04 +0000 UTC
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Avoid Gotham at all costs.
It’s bad luck.
Ian had lived by this DC Universe survival rule since arriving.
“Even dogs won’t drink it, but you can, cousin,” Ian said, pulling the straw from the cola he’d sipped, flipping it, and handing it back to Kara. Her expression, brows furrowed like hooks, was indescribable.
She just stared at him.
Crunch, crunch~
Someone else’s fried chicken always tasted better. Ian peeked into the bag—still a f...
2025-07-24 07:47:31 +0000 UTC
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The gains from becoming a fractured mess were sweet. Ian, wincing in pain, felt inwardly satisfied. Lying on the ground, he activated his [Healing Frenzy] skill.
The skill was as reliable as ever. Instantly, a searing force pumped from his heart to his limbs. Fractured bones made faint “crack” sounds.
Ruptured blood vessels and bones reconnected like sprouting vines. Countless “healing factors” wove through his marrow, piecing fragments together. Muscle fibers writhed like...
2025-07-24 07:46:52 +0000 UTC
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The pendant really responded!
The icon on the status bar changed.
Its name changed too.
This could only be the big shot’s response. The Death Knight had clearly done something, upgrading Ian’s [Death Knight Kin] status to [Death Knight Devotee].
It seemed like a small difference, but… was there actually any difference?
Ian, full of anticipation, stared at the icon, his expression freezing. The [Death Knight Devotee] icon still showed no status buffs.
...
2025-07-24 07:46:21 +0000 UTC
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The smell of disinfectant turned sharp.
Tessa, the reaper he’d known for two days, left Ian dumbfounded with her reaction. He wondered if he’d mistaken her for someone else, perhaps a twin sister?
There were plenty of reapers.
They existed everywhere life did, scattered across the world. Higher beings wandering the mortal realm, their duty was to guide departing souls to their destined afterlife. A place like a hospital was bound to be a frequent haunt for reapers.
2025-07-24 07:45:40 +0000 UTC
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Slashing himself twice? No problem.
Even stabbing his heart twice would be fine!
What was this?
Pure [Berserker] occupation experience! Ian felt a pang of regret, wishing he’d built a better rapport with Tessa, the reaper. Otherwise, he’d have shamelessly begged her for a long-term curse.
“Not that close, but I can still be shameless,” he muttered.
The glass doors of Metropolis General Hospital reflected Ian’s ironclad face. He stared at his blurry refl...
2025-07-24 07:44:55 +0000 UTC
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Chalk dust hung suspended in the classroom air. Outside, a bird’s shadow was pinned to the curtain, and even the sunlight had stopped flowing. This was some kind of ability belonging to Tessa, the reaper.
But Ian only caught a whiff of that pleasant fragrance.
He saw no figure.
“Hide and seek? Not my game.”
As Ian glanced around.
“It’s been nearly a day, and I feel like you’re not even a bit anxious?” Tessa frowned, stepping through the frozen teach...
2025-07-24 07:43:58 +0000 UTC
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Ian would attend class today.
Mostly because he needed to find a backup plan here. Yes, the boy he had met in the cafeteria before, Ian had recalled last night who he was.
Sam Winchester.
A character comparable to Homelander or Hannibal, an interloper in this world.
He likely came from an old American TV show called Supernatural, with over ten seasons of plot that could be summed up easily: Sam and his older brother Dean started by hunting ghosts, then moved o...
2025-07-24 07:43:13 +0000 UTC
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Ian’s furious outburst was loud.
His accusation at Madison drew the class’s attention. Whispers stopped. Over thirty pairs of eyes turned to Ian, brimming with curiosity.
“Huh?”
Madison’s hand hung midair, still in the pose from pushing Ian. She slowly withdrew it, her expression puzzled, clearly not grasping why Ian reacted so strongly.
“Yo~”
A whistle came from the back, from the class’s naughtiest kid, followed by hoots from others, sensing som...
2025-07-24 07:34:53 +0000 UTC
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Honestly, Ian didn’t like big ones.
But his eyes sometimes had their own ideas.
While digging into the plane crash details, Ian watched the cheerleader’s video four or five times.
All for rigor, just hunting for overlooked accident details.
“Too fake, full of tech and ruthlessness, really messes with spotting Dad’s flight path.” Ian’s critique was firm. He meticulously deleted his browser history, formatted the hard drive, filled it with legit science study...
2025-07-24 07:34:19 +0000 UTC
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