Chapter 99
Thoom-crack—!
Three Circles collided.
A massive explosion erupted around Lloyd’s heart.
[Skill Option for Mana Heart ①: Shock Nullification has been activated.]
[Your Mana Heart can independently nullify the blast shock without the protection of a Circle. Therefore, you receive no damage from the explosion.]
Clank, ka-chak!
The Mana Heart solidified.
It absorbed and dispersed the shock of the explosion. No damage was taken.
As a result, all the explosive force was directed outward.
KWAANG!
It rampaged through the bloodstream, lymph nodes, and muscle tissues.
It surged in the direction guided by Lloyd’s will.
Bursting through the heart to the pectoralis major and minor.
Some diverged to the trapezius and latissimus dorsi.
Splitting, merging, and passing through the rotator cuff.
Pounding into the deltoid, coracobrachialis, and triceps brachii.
It pierced through the arteries of the wrist and shot through countless ligaments and joint tissues.
Finally, it exploded through the knife held in Lloyd’s hand.
BOOM-CRACK—!
A massive flame pillar from the Triple Detonation shot diagonally upward.
A savage blaze born from the clash of pure Mana.
It burned, melted, and erased everything in its path.
Even the locker in the break room, the walls, and the ceiling beyond weren’t spared.
Of course, neither was the venomous energy that had been thrashing to escape the Circle’s rotational force.
‘It worked!’
Lloyd’s eyes gleamed as he launched the explosion through the knife.
He felt it—this was a success.
He had deliberately activated [Circle Shift] to reduce the Circle’s rotational force.
In doing so, he distinctly felt it.
The moment the Circle’s spin weakened, the venomous energy tried to leap out of its iron cage like a wild beast.
That’s when all three Circles collided.
Before the venom could escape.
A massive collision that swallowed even the poison whole.
Then came the explosive eruption.
The venom couldn’t withstand the flow.
Like a jackal caught in a rapid current, it was swept away relentlessly.
It flailed and struggled to escape, but it was useless.
The force of the Triple Detonation was simply too overwhelming.
And finally, it was expelled.
Through the knife.
Riding the explosion.
Exposed to intense force in midair.
Fssssszzzt!
A significant portion of the energy expelled by the blast was being converted into thermal energy.
The immense heat scorched and seared the venomous components.
The protein structures that made up the toxin were deformed.
The polymer bonds were shattered and broken.
They denatured and faded.
Unable to withstand the heat.
Eventually, they were entirely carbonized.
Crackle…
Within the fierce heat, the venomous elements were annihilated.
Yet even after all that, the momentum of the Triple Detonation didn’t subside.
No, it surged forth even more violently.
It punched a two-meter hole through the ceiling of the break room.
It plowed through the upper walls and countless structures without pause.
And finally, it pierced the roof of the banquet hall and rocketed into the night sky.
KWAHHHH—!
A pillar of Mana flame soared seventy meters high, visible from anywhere in the royal capital.
As the citizens of the capital widened their eyes in shock at the sight, the explosive flame pillar gradually died down.
“…Kuh! Guh! Guh-huk!”
The Triple Detonation still placed tremendous strain on the body.
Even if the heart suffered no shock, that wasn’t the end of it.
‘Ugh, feels like my whole body is breaking apart.’
His entire musculature throbbed as if beaten with a hammer.
It had been momentary, but it was a force no human body should be able to handle.
On top of that, his Mana Heart was completely drained.
It felt like suffering a severe flu and extreme fatigue simultaneously.
His legs gave out.
He slumped to the floor with a heavy thud.
‘This is seriously no joke.’
It hadn’t been this bad when he used [Triple Detonation] for the suspension bridge foundation.
But this time, he’d poured in his full strength, betting his life.
The difference was greater than expected.
Still, Lloyd didn’t pass out from the pain.
Though he really wanted to just pass out peacefully.
The reason he didn’t collapse—
A message popped up before his eyes, brimming with energy.
Ding-dong.
[You have survived after absorbing a large amount of the deadly venom, Lunatica.]
[During this process, you successfully expelled the toxic elements using an impressive method.]
[This extraordinary experience grants unique traits to two of your skills.]
‘Unique traits? Don’t tell me… skill-exclusive options?’
Lloyd, utterly drained and slumped down.
But a massive gain was floating before his eyes.
He didn’t want to pass out and miss it.
He knew he’d wake back up just to check it anyway.
His eyes darted rapidly.
[A new exclusive option has been unlocked for the Mana Heart skill.]
[Skill Exclusive Option ②: Poison Immunity – You survived exposure to the powerful synthetic venom ‘Lunatica.’ This experience grants your Mana Heart permanent resistance to poison. This option will provide strong resistance against all poisons currently known.]
[A new exclusive option has been unlocked for the Asrahan Heart Technique skill.]
[Skill Exclusive Option ⑤: Rapid Recharge – Accelerates Mana recovery during extreme depletion. When activated, your Circles rotate beyond their normal limit and absorb a massive amount of Mana from random nearby sources for five minutes. (Limit: Once per day.)]
‘Heh? Heheheh.’
A smile crept onto Lloyd’s lips as he read the option notifications.
An unexpected windfall.
‘I was just trying to survive.’
That was all.
No matter how much he tried, the venom wouldn’t leave his body.
He tried every method to spin the Circles, but nothing worked.
He even considered using the [Potential Burst] option of the Asrahan Heart Technique.
‘But if I failed using that, it’d be over. I’d fall into exhaustion and be unable to use the Asrahan Heart Technique. The Circles would lose all rotation.’
Then the venom would’ve broken free from the Circle’s rotation.
He would’ve died helplessly.
So he made a decision.
[Detonation] had to be the answer.
He poured everything into it.
And now, just like that, he gained not one but two unexpected options.
‘Poison Immunity. Guess I won’t have to worry about being poisoned ever again. I like that a lot. And Rapid Recharge. Hmm… I must’ve earned this one because I didn’t pass out even after draining all my Mana with the Triple Detonation.’
Lloyd’s gaze meticulously scanned the [Rapid Recharge] option description.
‘Absorbing Mana from random surroundings, huh.’
Mana absorption.
It was the core and foundation of the [Asrahan Heart Technique].
But this new option, [Rapid Recharge], seemed to push that fundamental capability to the extreme.
‘Should I give it a try?’
His Mana was completely depleted.
Even standing up was a struggle.
If he relaxed even a little, he’d likely pass out.
In other words, it was the perfect moment to test the [Rapid Recharge] option.
‘Let’s do this.’
He opened the skill window.
Selected to activate the option.
Ding-dong.
[Asrahan Heart Technique Skill Option ⑤: Rapid Recharge has been activated.]
[You are now absorbing a massive amount of Mana from random sources around you.]
It started from that moment.
Vrrrrmmmm…
The three Circles, which had gone dormant after the impact of the [Triple Detonation], began to spin up.
Like a fan taken out of storage after winter—at first, it sputtered as it struggled to turn.
Then gradually the spin stabilized.
It sped up.
Grew intense.
Surpassed its limit.
From a breeze to a gust, past a gale, into a storm.
VRRRMMMM—!
The three rotating Circles roared, becoming literal whirlwinds.
At the same time, a powerful Mana suction force formed around Lloyd.
Like a black hole, it began pulling in every trace of Mana nearby.
Rrrrk!
The table rattled, despite no one touching it.
A small amount of Mana embedded in the mahogany wood was being absorbed.
The wood of the table turned brittle.
Other nearby objects were the same.
The rose on the table withered in an instant.
The Toktoki crawling behind the vanity shriveled up and died on the spot.
Even the marble floor slowly lost its characteristic shine.
And of course, people were no exception.
“What… What are you doing right now?”
Her Majesty Queen Alicia recoiled in shock.
She too had collapsed on the floor like Lloyd.
Having been thoroughly poisoned and only just recovered.
Naturally, her condition was at rock bottom.
Right after that, she’d witnessed Lloyd unleash [Triple Detonation] right before her eyes.
It was a horrifying sight, one she had never seen in her life.
She couldn’t even have imagined it.
That such overwhelming power could be produced not by magic, but purely through Mana, was shocking to the point of disbelief.
‘I never imagined such a thing was possible.’
Yet it had just happened right in front of her.
And Lloyd—not even a Swordmaster—was the one who pulled it off.
The most powerful force one could exert with pure Mana was typically Aura.
But the explosion Lloyd created could reduce such Aura to mere child’s play.
It was staggering.
It felt as if her foundational understanding of the world had been shattered into pieces.
Yet, that shock and awe hadn’t ended.
“M-Mana… ngh!”
Mana was draining from her body in real time.
And being absorbed into Lloyd, who sat just five steps ahead of her!
Queen Alicia hastily tried to awaken her Mana Heart.
“Gh…!”
THUMP! THUMP!
She forced her exhausted Mana Heart into motion.
If she didn’t, she’d be drained dry and shrivel up.
THUMP—! THUMP!
Her heart pounded heavily.
The Mana inside her body began to circulate in harmony.
The reason why Swordmasters could endure prolonged battles—this was the unique Mana circulation of a Swordmaster.
‘Even so… the amount of Mana being pulled is still too much. Ngh…’
At least it wasn’t fatal.
But it was enough to make her feel queasy.
She couldn’t even open her mouth, focusing entirely on maintaining her Mana circulation.
She had to try her best to replenish what Lloyd was draining from her.
And that effort greatly helped Lloyd.
VRRRMMMM—!
An immense amount of Mana was being absorbed in real time.
Right now, he was a Mana black hole.
Engulfed in a trance, he devoured all Mana in his surroundings.
Most of all, he absorbed the greatest amount from Queen Alicia.
‘Hoo.’
Breathing in and out—
Within those intervals, he instinctively sought out the purest, most refined Mana. Desired it. Seized it. Made it his.
That source was none other than Queen Alicia’s Mana.
The Mana of a Swordmaster.
Power refined through complete mastery of Mana circulation.
Compared to the random ambient Mana in nature, it was in another league in terms of density and purity.
The difference was astronomical.
If natural Mana were like ordinary atoms, then the Queen’s refined Mana was akin to neutron-degenerate matter compressed under extreme pressure.
Like compressing the Empire State Building to the density of a neutron star—shrinking it down to the size of a grain of rice.
That was the kind of Mana Lloyd was now absorbing.
A miraculous density and purity that surpassed the realm of nature.
That premium Mana filled Lloyd’s utterly empty Mana Heart.
No, it didn’t just fill—it tore it open.
Forcefully expanding its capacity.
It was changing Lloyd’s Mana Heart in real time. Evolving it.
Ding-dong. Ding-dong.
Countless messages appeared before the entranced Lloyd’s eyes.
The experience points for [Mana Heart] skyrocketed.
EXP surged explosively.
Levels rose one after another without pause.
Messages announcing each increase flooded the air.
Meanwhile, Queen Alicia’s complexion grew paler as she was drained.
‘Ugh… I didn’t think something like this was even possible…’
She truly had no idea.
It felt like her entire understanding of the world was being uprooted.
But now wasn’t the time to question it.
She didn’t even dare approach Lloyd.
If she got closer, she’d lose even more Mana.
She desperately tried to put distance between them.
But even that wasn’t possible.
Moving just a single centimeter was an ordeal.
All she could do was serve as a backup battery, refueling Lloyd’s Mana Heart.
‘This is insane!’
She tried to preserve her Mana, even a little.
Struggled to lose less.
But it was useless.
The higher Lloyd’s [Mana Heart] skill leveled, the greater the absorption rate became.
As his Mana Heart was forcefully torn open and expanded, its storage capacity increased.
And so, the unfair tug-of-war continued—between the Queen who was being drained and Lloyd who showed no mercy.
If the Queen had merely been of Expert rank, she would have long since been completely drained and left a withered husk.
Thankfully, she was a Swordmaster.
Instead of turning into a mummy, she resisted with endless Mana circulation.
Thanks to that, Lloyd’s absorption could continue without interruption.
Originally, [Rapid Recharge] was a skill meant to absorb bits of ambient Mana for minor recovery.
But with the helpless Swordmaster Queen seated nearby, that skill was elevated far beyond its intended use, becoming the foundation for explosive growth.
Lloyd’s Mana Heart continued to fill, burst past its limits, and expand even further.
Its level kept climbing without end.
From Level 2 to 3.
From 4 to 5.
It shot past Level 10 in an instant.
And at last, the moment it reached Level 11—
An achievement that would take others years was accomplished in just five minutes.
[Skill Rank Up!]
[The rank of the Mana Heart skill has risen to <Sword Expert – Low>.]
