Dismissing the strange feeling, Adam focused on his kill notification with mixed emotions. He had given his all in this battle. Yet, his loss gave him the impression he didn't deserve any rewards.
[Tier 4 Mythical Boss: Dullahan defeated. You have gained 2000 experience points.]
"Sigh. What do you think, Misha?" He said, retrieving her DNA tube from under his bed with dim eyes, indulging in self-pity for half a minute before shaking his head to dispel his negative thoughts.
'I won't lose again,' he declared, determination flashing in his eyes as he analysed his shortcomings. "My strength, melee, and mana techniques are too lacking. Not to mention my mana capacity and output efficiency."
His best technique consumed too much energy, causing him to think of ways to possess more mana or diminish the expenditure. The easiest way would be to drink a potion. Unfortunately, he already consumed one this year and didn't want to play with fire.
Then, he pondered about mana flow. Kwame wrote it was an important thing to develop for his ritual. Thus, he wondered if increasing his flow could possibly reduce his consumption or hasten his recovery.
'I'll read about it after I return to the college,' he thought before delving into mana circuits. He wasn't too familiar with the concept but knew they were used to channeling mana towards the heart to increase their tier and cast spells. To summarise his understanding, they were like the human blood circulatory system for mana.
'Can I improve mine?' He questioned, wondering if having better circuits would allow him to discharge more mana without suffering from a backlash. Of course, having better circuits was also directly related to mana flow. Thus, he theorised that the so-called natural talent nobles referred to was just the circuits' quality of a practitioner.
"I'll ask Shepard about that, too," he muttered pensively, realising his magic journey only began. To reach the top, he still had much to discover and improve.
"But I need to return to the college first," he said, tapping his finger on his cheek before adding, "At least this venture proved profitable with the obtention of the ghost essence and the completion of my deck. I also leveled up once."
Without waiting, he said, "Status."
Race: Spectral sovereign
Talent: Unlocked at thirteen
Job: Tier one alchemist
Class: T3 Mana Conjuror
Intelligence: 54.4->56.4
Free attribute points: 5->0
Items: Grimoire Lingua, Grimoire Beastaria, Luminous Wildblade, Blade of Adaptation, Gaston's Sovereign Eye, Misha's Genetic Code, Thomas' Swift Shadow Legs, Manacore Heartgem,
Active: T1 spells: Illuminate LV1, Mana shield LV2, Magical Perception LV1.
Other: Mana bullet LV MAX, Atom Burst LVL MAX, Mage's hands LVL MAX, Gate of Mystical Arsenal LVL MAX, Gungnir LVL MAX.
Passive: Mana Control T4, Enhanced Intuition T1, Dagger mastery T1, Spear mastery T2, Sword mastery T1, Mana Shaping T3, Mana cape T3, Nova's lucky blessing T3.
Note: Soul is damaged. Congratulations! It is the first time in history that a spectral sovereign lost against a dullahan. Are you proud?
"I'm proud to be your dad," he said, his veins squirming in annoyance at the note. After a moment to calm down, he frowned, asking, "How is my soul still damaged after a ghost king fixed it?"
Something was wrong with his soul. Since the first day he woke up in Alina's house, it was mysteriously damaged. Worse, no matter what he did to treat it, including drinking potions, Morgane's use of the tier six soul essence, or Ossian's healing, the system continued to hint at its damage.
Despite the enigma, he couldn't do anything to solve it for years. So, he gave up thinking about it entirely, hoping it would fix itself once he got his own body.
However, a frown etched itself on his face as he read the note again. "Since when am I a spectral sovereign?" He asked, tilting his head in confusion before realising a new column displaying his race appeared.
'Is that my species?' He pondered briefly before shrugging. 'I don't care. All I wish is to be a human, anyway.'
Finally, he noticed the new passive skill he got, understanding what Nova meant earlier with her small gift.
"Does it just make me lucky?" He wondered, an interested smile tugging at his lips before focusing on the skill to get the information.
Nova's lucky blessing: Subtly influences events in the blessing bearer's favor, protecting him from misfortune and turning them into opportunities.
After reading the vague description, he muttered, "Isn't it like instinct, or will it help me stumble on treasures?"
His eyes glowed in greed as he imagined swimming in gold-filled ancient vaults, lost to time and waiting to be unearthed.
After dreaming briefly, he awoke from his unrealistic fantasies, thinking about the others. What were they doing? Was the city interesting?
"I want to explore too!" He exclaimed with a smile, closing his eyes to join Julius.
His dim eyes, ignited by brilliant light, landed on the boy and the soul reaper a second later.
"Where are the girls?" He asked, confused to see them standing alone in the centre of the empty street.
Surprised to hear him return so soon, Julius beamed a smile, answering, "They are talking with Nova's sister. With their conversation turning dangerous, I decided to escape with you and wait outside."
Nodding in understanding, Adam smiled mischievously, saying, "Their discussion won't stop any time soon. Let's explore between men for three hours before sleeping."
"Yeah! Let's go!" Julius responded, excited by the idea, before turning to the guard, anticipation covering his face.
After pondering for a second, the latter replied, "They haven't seen each other for a long time, and I believe the little girl won't do anything bad. So, want to meet the soul smith I mentioned earlier?"
As Julius nodded like a rooster, Adam's eyes lit up with interest. He never heard about this discipline before.
Thus, the three boys disappeared into the white city's streets with smiles.