Night draped itself across Maelstrom City as the moon spilled its glow over the streets.
Inside a quiet room within the White Springs Guild, a youth draped in a black robe stood by the window. His gaze drifted into the distance, the moonlight washing over him as a soft sigh escaped his lips.
"This is it," Aurelian breathed, feeling the gentle breeze ruffle his hair as he clasped his hands behind his back.
Tomorrow would mark a turning point in his life...the beginning of his journey beyond Maelstrom City and into the wider world. Once he passed the academy selections.
He nodded slowly, his thoughts spiraling. All the memories he had from the previous host only stretched as far as Maelstrom City. Everything beyond that was uncharted.
Venturing into the unknown, huh? he mused.
Shifting mental gears, his brows arched in curiosity. He could feel the power thrumming deep within his body, he just didn’t know how far it went.
Time to change that, he thought, his eyes glinting before a whisper slipped from his lips.
"Supreme Records."
The words had barely left him before a blue notification screen blinked into existence.
***
**Supreme Records**
Name: Aurelian Draegor
Title: The @£#&’* of Lust
Class: The Classless One
Talents: Peak S-rank — Embers of Illusory
Spectral Death
SS-rank — Aegis of Illusion
Level: 40 (30 / 200,000)
Rank: E
Attributes:
Strength: 374
Agility: 338
Endurance: 303
Constitution: 340
Charisma: 100
Intelligence: 370
Willpower: 305
Toughness: 301
Mana: 1000 / 1000
Luck: Null
Unallocated Attribute Points: 0
Supreme Records:
First Record: Talent Replication (Weekly Slots: 4/4)
Second Record: Talent Merging (Weekly Slots: 4/4)
Third Record: Talent Rebate (Monthly Slots: 1/1)
The Supreme Records will evolve as the @£#&’ of Lust grows in power. More records will awaken once your mortal vessel grows strong enough to house them.
***
"Good," Aurelian murmured under his breath, exhaling softly. If he had to estimate, he was practically invulnerable against E-rank beings now. His stats far surpassed anyone at the same level.
Part of it came from the free rein his classless path allowed, he could allocate his level-up attributes however he pleased. Coupled with devouring the corpses of beasts he’d slain and his recent fortuitous encounter with red origin stones, which he’d absorbed and channeled into his attributes, he’d become something close to a perfect all-rounder.
Still, he had yet to unleash the full terror of his class. Once he gained access to mage spells, warrior tempering manuals, archer stealth skills, and healer techniques... that would be the day he became an unstoppable menace on the battlefield.
All of which awaited him in the academy, another reason why getting in was essential.
"Wonder how I’d fare against Azrael if we had a rematch," he mused, blood stirring at the thought. His strength had skyrocketed in just a single day since their last encounter.
He groaned, suppressing the thrill before it could run wild. Still, another thought lingered...how would he fare against D-rank monsters? Had his growth reached the point of fighting above his rank?
Only one way to find out. Tomorrow, at the academy selections, all his questions would be answered. He would fight, and kill, to his heart’s content. Hopefully, the beasts would prove a worthy challenge.
Snapping back to reality, he scanned his Supreme Records once more before dismissing the screen. Only a day or so remained before his talent slots refreshed.
Then he could go on another hunting spree.
But first, there was something else just as important, his Infinite Mana Pathways.
He hadn’t explored them much since acquiring them. But now was different. He had the feeling he’d only scratched the surface. Turning finite into infinite was the end goal, but there was still a limit. He hadn’t reached it yet, simply because no opponent had forced him into a true battle of attrition.
But that would change soon. His opponents were no longer just his peers, hopefully, the older generation too.
He exhaled, his obsidian eyes snapping shut as he delved deeper into the pathways’ nature. He could feel the flow of mana—shift its density, make it lighter or heavier. That was something.
Could I push it further? Manipulate other attributes—fire, water, earth, air?
He groaned softly, sitting down cross-legged, sinking deeper into thought.
Seconds bled into minutes, and minutes into hours. Then, his eyes snapped open, frustration flashing across them.
"Why can’t I do it?" he growled. He could sense the mana particles, even see them with his metaphysical vision, but drawing them into his body was... impossible.
He was just about to curse when his expression shifted. His Sphere of Detection flared. A familiar presence entered its range.
Then, a faint smile tugged at his lips.
"You’re... back," he murmured, straightening up just as the figure appeared in the doorway.
Before he could say anything, her image flickered, dissolving into a flurry of purple mirages before she was suddenly in his arms, clinging to him tightly.
"It’s you... it’s really you," Amber squealed, voice trembling with relief. "They said they knew where you were...but I didn’t know if it was true."
The cold, ruthless aura she’d built up melted away as she hugged him tighter, as if afraid he’d vanish again.
Back at the doorway, Sera watched in surprise as the young miss clung tightly to Aurelian, a striking contrast to the cold aura she had radiated only moments ago. As Sera observed, a faint smile tugged at her lips, her expression softening at the sight. Memories long buried stirred within her, of a time when she didn’t have to worry about power, only dreams. But that life had long since crumbled, she mused, setting her on the path she now walked. The memories were too painful to recall.
Watching the scene unfold, her eyes flickered with a faint trace of envy. If only someone could love me like that, she whispered inwardly, clenching her fists to suppress the emotions boiling within.
A small, wistful smile curved her lips as she turned away. The youth’s capacity for affection spoke volumes about his character. She had made the right decision entrusting the future of the White Springs Guild to him. Her end of the bargain was fulfilled—the rest was up to Aurelian.