"Crash!" The plate was thrown to the ground by Winnie, who furiously glared at Dark. "I told you I don't like peas in my soup! Why can't you understand that?!"
"Sorry, young master, truly sorry, I..." Dark repeatedly apologized.
"Tomorrow, you don't need to come." Winnie coldly glanced at Dark, then turned and left. "Don’t ever let me see you again."
"Young Master Winnie, you...?" Dark was clearly caught off guard by Winnie's words. Although Winnie would sometimes pick fights during meals when in a bad mood, he never thought Winnie would actually fire him.
After all, where else could he find a servant this cheap?
"One thing, don’t make me say it twice." Winnie coldly added. "You better pack up tonight and leave, and if I see you in this house tomorrow, don’t blame me for being rude."
With that, Winnie turned and went upstairs, leaving Dark alone in the dining room.
Once upstairs, Winnie's expression changed instantly, and he glanced meaningfully at the stairs.
This was the most legitimate and simplest way he could think of to remove the eyes and ears around him, using the persona of a villain.
He returned to his room and opened the window.
His room had a broad view, and opening the window revealed the entire yard, so anyone passing through the courtyard could be clearly seen.
However, there was no hurry. Dark wouldn't act so quickly, even if he thought Winnie was an incompetent fool.
He lightly shut the window and began studying the crystal bottle and the grayish-white Soul Art inside it.
He had already finished reading the Soul Art absorption manual. Compared to high-star Soul Arts, the process of absorbing a one-star Soul Art was much simpler.
He opened the stopper of the crystal bottle, hesitated for a moment, and followed the instructions in the manual, pouring the Soul Art from the bottle into his mouth.
Surprisingly, as soon as the stopper was opened, the grayish-white Soul Art began to jump restlessly, almost as if it wanted to leap out of the bottle and rush straight toward Winnie.
Winnie was somewhat surprised. This was not a phenomenon mentioned in the manual, but soon, he realized the reason.
His compatibility with this Soul Art was 100%.
Perhaps this Soul Art was attracted to him?
On a whim, Winnie swallowed the Soul Art.
Swallowing something resembling a flame was difficult for him to accept, but after swallowing the grayish-white flame, he didn’t feel any burning sensation.
A moment later, he felt a fire ignite in his chest. This fire didn’t cause any discomfort or heat, but it felt as though his soul had undergone some kind of elevation.
It was as if the dull soul had found its essence and lit a lamp within.
All the negative side effects described in the manual, such as feeling unable to eat or move after absorbing a Soul Art, did not occur for him. The entire process was smooth, as if this grayish-white flame had always been a part of his body.
The manual also mentioned that absorbing a one-star Soul Art would typically cause extreme discomfort, but there was no such feeling for Winnie.
Was this the benefit of full compatibility?
Winnie looked outside the window.
The duel with the knight apprentice was scheduled for three days later.
If he won, he wouldn’t need to worry about money for a while; if he lost, it wouldn’t be much of a loss.
As for the reputation blow? Humiliation? It didn’t matter. He already had a terrible reputation, so what difference would a little more humiliation make?
Winnie took a deep breath. He felt that his soul had become much brighter, and in addition to that, the Soul Art power felt like a natural part of his body, as if it had always existed, just unnoticed.
So this is Soul Art?
Winnie went to the mirror and swallowed nervously.
The most exciting moment had arrived.
The magic from another world he had always dreamed of.
If you are reading this translation anywhere other than Novelight.net, it has been stolen.
[Armor], an armored Soul Art, huh? Let's see what it can do.
Winnie closed his eyes, and with a thought, countless rays of light began to weave and construct around him, forming silver armor plates.
When he opened his eyes again, the mirror no longer reflected the unremarkable freckled blue-haired boy, but a figure fully encased in metal, a "steel pile."
A closed helmet with golden decorations on the eye slits, a red plume on top, the face enclosed in chainmail with only the eyes visible through narrow slits.
The silver-scaled fish scale armor and brass shoulder plates gleamed under the light, with a belt around his waist and the legs covered by a skirt armor, all topped off with a pair of exquisitely designed silver-gold plated boots.
The person in the mirror was entirely encased in steel, with only his eyes showing, yet oddly, it didn’t impair his vision.
Fully armed, an armored fortress, as the name suggests.
This... This is...
This is simply...
Simply too cool!
At this moment, Winnie could only see himself in the mirror, completely clad in the closed armor. The scales of the armor glimmered under the light, perfectly matching his ideal of fantasy armor.
It was fantastic! This armor would last him five years! ...No, ten years!
Indeed, armor is a man's romance! Women just get in the way.
Besides, this was Soul Art armor—no maintenance needed, no worrying about damage, and no need for repairs. It would automatically repair itself once removed.
Was there anything more perfect than this Soul Art?
Soon, Winnie remembered the introduction to [Armor] from the panel.
‘Created by an unknown powerful court mage from the ancient Terrellian Empire.’
This Soul Art was created by the ancient empire, but that empire had long fallen. If [Armor], a one-star Soul Art, still had practical use, it shouldn’t have been lost to history. But why was it only found in royal collections, not in general Soul Art archives?
Winnie walked around in the armor for a few steps, feeling the weight. It was heavy, but the actual weight seemed reduced, because if it was the full weight, his small frame would have been crushed under it.
Staring at himself in the mirror, Winnie grew more and more satisfied, realizing his judgment was correct.
But he had no choice, after all.
And since his compatibility with Armor was 100%, all its potential would be unleashed, so there must be many powers he had yet to discover.
However, after thinking for a moment, Winnie felt something strange.
Why had he never heard of such a low-requirement Soul Art before? Why had he never seen anyone use it?
Could it be because its creation method was lost and it’s extremely rare?
No, it shouldn't be that way.
Armor-type Soul Arts were always a weak type of Soul Art—those with high aptitude wouldn’t use it, and those with low aptitude wouldn’t need it. Moreover, with current Soul Art crafting techniques, reproducing such an ancient one-star Soul Art shouldn’t be difficult.
But why had he never seen anyone use [Armor]?