The sudden change took hold of the whole of Valiant City. Whereas the commotion had once only taken hold of the freshman quarters, at this point, it was as though the Force of Valiant Heart had all chosen to concentrate toward one region.
There wasn't a single person that didn't sense the change. From the weakest to the strongest, they all looked toward one particular direction.
Leonel looked down at his own body, feeling strength flooding through it.
'This is it…' Leonel lip curled.
One had to remember that the core of Merlin's Trial World encompassed the whole magic system of Camelot. Back then… was it only mages that had entered?
The answer was obviously no. So, in that case, why was it that it seemed that Leonel was so focused on the path of a Mage but didn't say anything about Knights from start to end?
The truth was that there was a thin line of separation between the two! The path that Camelot had split into two had always meant to be one!
The four petals on Leonel's Mage Core bloomed, growing a fold in size. At that moment, a fifth petal began to form, growing until it balanced the rest into a state of absolute perfection. Even the crackling of the black petal seemed to ease, calming until it only sent small ripples in every direction.
This fifth petal was none other than Leonel's Earth variant affinity. It held a beautiful bronze color, its every movement causing what sounded like sharpening metal to ring through the air.
This was the process of Leonel's body perfectly combining with his magic. He could feel it coursing through his pores, filling his body up with a brimming strength.
As the Light Element flooded through him, his body began to rapidly heal. As the Fire and Star Elements surged through his veins, he felt as though his resistance against his own Scarlet Star Force had skyrocketed. As the Earth Element rippled through his body, the foundation of his Metal Body grew steadier, opening up a path toward forward progress.
And finally… As the Space Element shook his body to its very core, he felt as though his Divine Armor had fused with him toward a new level of perfection.
'This is Camelot's true magic system… A system where the best Spiritual Medium is none other than one's own body.'
Leonel felt like he could call down the elements with a thought, fueling his actions with the Force of the world.
It was difficult for Leonel to concentrate his half month of study into just a few words, but if he had to… It almost felt like he had turned his body into a lightning rod for magic.
Whereas in the past he needed to use his Soul Force to draw Force Arts to call down the elements, he didn't need Force Arts to do so anymore. It was almost as though Leonel had gained an ability.
However, what was scariest about this ability was that when Leonel consciously chose to draw Force Arts… Not only would it be even faster than his already blazing speed, it would be tens of times more powerful.
This was the true beginning of Camelot's magic system!
'[Grand Heal].'
A pillar of golden light fell from the skies. It tore a path through the dorm rooms, leaving everything practically unscathed. The only change was that everyone who passed by this light suddenly felt lighter on their feet, like all their hidden injuries and worries had been washed away.
Leonel took a deep breath, soaking up all the golden lights as though a drunkard.
With just a single [Grand Heal], he had gone from 70% healed to over 80%. He cast it a few more times, feeling intoxicated. After the sixth, he finally managed to return to 100%.
He felt his bones pop and crackle. He stood, the floors beneath his feet threatening to shatter.
Having stepped into the true gate of this magic system, Leonel didn't even have to modify the spells he already knew to display combat prowess equivalent to the Fourth Dimension. This was how great a boost forming his Mage Core had given him. Even the simplest of spells had become exponentially more powerful.
'It's not quite enough to heal coach, but I only need to focus on rebuilding the spell from the ground up to get the results I want… If I was a doctor, restructuring healing spells would be much easier, but unfortunately –'
As Leonel was lost in his thoughts, the commotion of Force he had caused slowed until it was as though nothing had even happened. It was at that exact moment that a voice familiar to all the freshman sounded once again.
"… Leonel, you scolding piece of trash…!"
'Huh…?' Leonel's gaze seemed to penetrate through the walls. He didn't like having his thoughts interrupted and he would have already put up another silencing array had it not been for the fact he just heard his own name.
"… I heard your mother picked your last name out of a hat! Too bad she couldn't remember who her bastard kid's daddy was…!"
Leonel's gaze went cold.
…
Outside, Thetris' voice continued to boom. He had been shocked by the sudden shift in Force, but he regained his confidence after it dimmed down.
Over the past two weeks, he had gotten more bold. Since Leonel was too scared to come out, what did he have to fear exactly?
The best part was that he was also getting paid handsomely and he didn't even have to yell continuously like he had in the past. Now, he only had to say something every few hours and he even got ample time for rest and play. His only task was to remind everyone that Leonel was a coward who didn't dare to do anything in the face of such insults.
He was quite happy with this arrangement even though he wasn't necessarily needed. By now, Leonel's face was plastered all over Valiant City in the form of a bounty parody. Even without him, people wouldn't forget.
He took a swing of water, a wide grin on his face.
"Did you know, Leonel?! Everyone knows you as Leo the Cuck now! The bounty posters are everywhere! It's a shame you can't see them! It's alright though, every night when we fuck your girlfriend to sleep, she cuddles up with one in her arms!"
Thetris took another swing of his water, ready to shout out at the top of his lungs again, but his words were suddenly caught in his throat.
He didn't know when, but a tall shadow had suddenly appeared before him.
…
On the roof of a building not far away, Gersan's eyes shot open.