HideousGrain
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Path to Prosperity - B1 Chapter 43
🕑 Added 2024-07-16 10:00:06 +0000 UTCThe next few minutes felt like an eternity as Ulfhar explained in detail what exactly the Infernal Lair was and how it was used, but Percy was still having a hard time understanding everything.
“You carry a portal to the seven hells, just like that? The army of Archyeas was already troublesome to deal with. What if the portal opens again? Can’t you destroy it?” He asked for the Xth time.
“The Archyeas were their scouts at best. The seven hells are far more dangerous than you can imagine,” Ulfhar shrugged lightly, “But you don’t have to worry about the Infernal Lair. Only demons can nourish the Infernal Lair seed with their Demonic Essence to grow it. Once it accumulates enough Demonic Essence, it can transform into a rift to the seven hells and establish a permanent anchor.”
Percy paled again. He didn’t know how many times he had done that in the last few minutes, but almost everything Ulfhar said sounded bad.
“I think you understand it now. We were lucky. The Infernal Lair wasn’t ready for it. It didn’t have enough time and Demonic Essence to mature properly. The Archyeas you saw a few weeks ago must have nourished the Infernal Lair with Monster Essence, hoping to call more of its kind to help nourish the Infernal Lair. Our greatest fortune was that the Infernal Lair collapsed after a few scouts and an Elite Demon emerged from it.”
Percy nodded, only for Liam to add seriously, “Destroying the Infernal Lair seed is possible, but the Duke has to see it. The problem with this seed is that the Infernal Lair was concealed. It’s supposed to cost an enormous amount of Demonic Essence to conceal the Infernal Lair from the outside world. Yet, a single Archyeas infused enough Demonic Essence to do so? That shouldn’t be possible.”
The Glacia Knights, Ulfhar and Liam, continued talking seriously, but most of it went over Percy’s head. His eyelids were heavy, and a wave of exhaustion spread through his flesh and bones.
Time passed slowly, and Percy found himself dozing off. The embrace of sleep was strong, and he gave in to it.
**
The next few days passed in the blink of an eye. Percy didn’t know what awaited him, but the Glacia Knights shattered his expectations. They treated him nicely and explained everything thoroughly whenever he had a question, but they didn’t pay as much attention to him as he thought. In the evening after the first day, he was a little disappointed. He didn’t know what he had been hoping for, but there was no way Percy expected to be treated casually after exposing his Ego.
The Glacia Knights’ reaction when he consumed the Pleacis carcass had been too big to treat him casually like before. At least, that was what he had expected.
His disappointment was visible on the second day, yet nothing changed. They treated him the same. His mood changed after the third day. He felt much better, as if a heavy stone lifted from his chest. Nobody treated him differently, even after his Ego was exposed. That confused him a little at first, but it was much better than a sudden change in their behavior. Percy would have hated it if the Glacia Knights treated him too well for no reason. There was no need to reach out to him with silk gloves.
Percy stayed with the Glacia Knights and joined their daily training regime. The training was tiring but fulfilling. It didn’t make sense why they trained so much on their way to the Wintermoon estate, but the training regime of the Glacia Knights turned out to be an excuse to lure Melissa out of her carriage. She joined the Glacia Knights’ training without any complaints. It looked like she accepted her flaws because she trained harder and more than Ulfhar demanded.
But that was necessary in Percy’s opinion. Melissa had a heavy responsibility to carry as the heiress of a duke. She had to be the best at everything – or at least try to be – if she didn’t want to see her ancestor’s household collapse under her reign.
Percy didn’t join the Glacia Knights’ training at first. He was forced to recuperate and told to study their training before doing anything. At last, three days passed, and Percy was given a sword to defend himself and join the training.
The sword was one of Knight Liam’s reserve swords and, thus, of considerable quality and value. That was also what the interface verified.
[Tempered Silvron Sword – Excellent Quality – 5355 Prosperity]
“Treat it with great care and be mindful when you wield it. The Silvron Sword is strong and sharp enough to kill most Elite Monsters if you maintain it well,” Knight Liam told Percy when he handed him the sword.
Percy was surprised that Knight Liam was willing to give him such a valuable weapon, but it didn’t take long before he realized every Glacia Knight had multiple reserve blades of the same type. Their main weapons were Artifacts, and they would only retrieve the Silvron Swords if their Artifacts shattered or during the training.
But that didn’t mean Knight Liam’s gift meant anything less. Percy was overjoyed, especially with the tens of silverish-golden threads that waited eagerly to be augmented. The Tempered Silvron Sword had multiple options to be enchanted using his Ego, but Percy didn’t augment his new weapon in any way. He might have enough Prosperity to let loose but was not yet ready to reveal his most important trump card.
He grasped the Silvron Sword tightly and attended the knight training by following their movement sequences. Percy was slow at first but quickly realized something.
[Blade Mastery] works on swords as well!
Observing the Glacia Knights had already been weird, and now that he wielded the Silvron Sword to follow their movements, Percy understood what was going on. He had no problem following the Glacia Knights’ movements. They wielded their swords smoothly, and so did Percy. At least, his mind followed the movements easily. His body, on the other hand, struggled a little bit more. The movements were unfamiliar, and getting used to the complex motions took a while.
However, once he got used to them, Percy’s eyes glimmered in excitement.
This is amazing! But…I want more. Ulfhar and Melissa’s movements are more graceful, smoother, and deadlier.
This was only the first training session, and Percy progressed rapidly, but learning the basics of the Glacia Knights’ movements was not enough for him. He wanted to be more like Ulfhar and Melissa.
A flicker of ambition and determination flashed deep in his eyes, and he used [Consume] on Prosperity to check the Gnoll Card again.
[Gnoll – Healthy]
[Name – Hyean]
[Potential: Common ⭐⭐⭐ ~⭐~]
[Augmentation]
[Blade Mastery⭐⭐]
[A Hunter’s Smell⭐]
[Minor Strength Boost⭐]
They’re glowing!
Hyean’s Potential and Augmentation tags were glowing like his runic enchantments glowed when Percy had enough Prosperity to unlock them!
He licked his lips and proceeded, following his gut feeling.
[150,000 Prosperity has been consumed]
[Gnoll Card’s Augmentation [Blade Mastery⭐⭐] is overflowing with Prosperity.
[Blade Mastery⭐⭐] advances to [Blade Mastery⭐⭐⭐]]
Hell yeah!!!
Percy screamed in his mind while a familiar stream of foreign information flooded his mind. He raised the Silvron Sword with a vibrant smile and grasped the opportunity at its root. His eyes trailed between Ulfhar and Melissa, and he started moving.
His gaze never left the duo, but his body moved. He swung the sword to the side and twisted the blade until Percy felt like his arm was about to tear apart before unleashing the accumulated momentum to spin around in a pirouette. He targeted a spot before him and released a fury of strikes and slashes, one deadlier than the others.
The mana reserves in his body were utilized to the fullest as Percy realized that neither Ulfhar nor Melissa practiced their combat techniques without mana. He circulated mana through his body and tried to control it precisely. He dashed two meters ahead, stopped without warning, and slashed at the imaginary enemy before him. His sword hummed happily as the mana-infused blade cut through the air faster and faster.
Percy moved left and right, twisted his body, and jumped to the side, evading imaginary attacks, which he countered with follow-up attacks or by using the enemy’s momentum against them.
He was not sure how much time had passed before he collapsed to the ground. His legs trembled violently, and his mana reserves cried in anger. Not a single trace of mana was left in his body. His stamina was drained as well.
Nonetheless, Percy smiled from one ear to the other.
I am not done yet! This is just the beginning… He told himself while retrieving one of his Ego-augmented potions. Percy removed the cap absentmindedly while his eyes locked onto Melissa.
The young noble might not be as experienced and smooth as Ulfhar, but her technique was different…stronger. Her icy gait and the freezing chill sweeping through the surroundings with every move were terrifying to watch.
She will be stronger than Ulfhar in a few years…no. In a few months if the Imperials training is as terrifying as everyone says.
The Imperials were the strongest force in the kingdom. They were the strongest of the strongest and had to be respected by everyone. From what Percy heard, even commonbirth Egos, who managed to become Imperials, had to be treated with great care by all nobles, including the dukes and their heirs. Becoming an Imperial as a commonbirth Ego was the greatest achievement, but it was also a heavy responsibility.
I need more. Show me more, Melissa!!
His vibrant smile never ceased. On the contrary, it widened when the strength in his arms and legs returned. His potion worked fast and gave him enough strength to get up and move again. His first motions were slow. He focused on Melissa’s movements, the circulation of her mana, how much mana she exposed to the outside world to create the freezing hue around her, and other minor details Percy would have never noticed if he hadn’t upgraded [Blade Mastery] to a three-star Augmentation.
But now that he noticed them, Percy’s understanding of Melissa’s technique skyrocketed the longer he observed her.
Almost ten minutes of utter silence passed before Percy’s motions accelerated. He didn’t go from zero to 100 immediately but went up by a gear slowly.
Only a few minutes passed before Percy reached the limit of his body and mind. His body creaked, and the minuscule reserves of mana he’d replenished from the potion were used up as well. Still, Percy was satisfied with himself.
Your technique is mine now!
He grinned and slowed down. His body screamed at him, but his grin widened. The Glacia Knights stared intently at him, their shock visible. If Percy had been the same youth as before, he would have been worried. However, Percy was more than he used to be. He didn’t shy away from their shocked stares anymore.
Only Melissa’s stupefied expression surprised him a little.
“Do you have a death wish?!” She frowned deeply.
Percy smiled, but only for a moment. He had been too excited to realize that Melissa didn’t behave like her usual pampered and arrogant self. She was serious. Dead serious.
What’s wrong?
“I know you’re stupid, but why in the seven hells would you try to copy my Inheritance technique right before my eyes and before the Glacia Knight Order? This Inheritance technique belongs to my bloodline. Nobody is allowed to use it, Impbrain.”
Percy didn’t have an opportunity to respond, but even if Melissa were to pause and listen to him…what was he supposed to say?
‘I have no idea what Inheritance techniques are or that you practiced one. Sorry for trying to steal your family’s technique.’ Yeah, that sounds stupid. I’ve never seen her act like that, either. She is not joking around.
The shocked expressions of the Glacia Knights made a lot more sense now, as well. Maybe they were surprised at how quickly he progressed, but they were the most shocked about his stupidity. Percy thought that until he saw the corner of their lips curl upward.
They smiled at him in excitement!
Wait a moment….
His gaze wanted Knight Liam and the Glacia Knight Captain, who were smiling at him as well. It was a fiendish smile. A smile that couldn’t mean anything good.
He noticed what I did and didn’t say anything…No…They all knew!!!
Percy swallowed hard.
They tricked me.
