Ryn
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Chapter 221
🕑 Added 2024-12-04 19:00:16 +0000 UTCEventually, Marquis Easten returned. Julius and Reinera were simply waiting and eating some snacks as they relaxed.
“I have discussed your request with some of the elders of my House. Your first request was quite easy to agree upon. You will both be provided with our best advancement chambers to use in order to facilitate your advancement. We will also be providing you each with a Tier 3 Advancement Potion. They are of such quality that neither of you will experience any negative side effects from consuming them. As long as the two of you are confident that your foundations are solid enough, there shouldn’t be any short or long-term issues,” Marquis Easten explained.
Reinera was the first to speak up. “We gratefully appreciate your generosity. However, what about our second request?”
Julius saw the man frown. “That is still up for debate. I am still trying to convince them to allow you two rift access. However, I can promise you that I will do my best to make the most compelling case.”
Reinera bit her lip like she wanted to say something, but gave a firm nod instead. “I understand, that is all we can really hope for, Marquis Easten,” she said politely.
“I told you already, please call me Casidus. My title is normally used for more formal settings”
Casidus then took out a pair of bottles from his storage ring and presented them to Julius and Reinera.
“This is the Advancement Potion. The rooms are ready whenever you two feel like it's the right time. Just let me know and I will have you shown to the chambers.”
That was fast.
“We can do it immediately?” He asked Casidus.
“Of course. I suspected that both of you wanted to do it as soon as possible so I made sure to expedite the preparations,” Casidus explained.
That’s convenient. I wasn’t expecting it to happen so quickly, but I am not exactly complaining either. The sooner I can advance to Tier 3, the better.
He looked over at Reinera to see her reaction. He was honestly ready to do it this very second, but he wanted to see if she was also prepared.
He got a firm nod in return.
The Marquis saw both of their actions and gave a small smile. “Follow me then. I will show you where you two can advance.”
***
The Marquis took them down the large hallway and Julius took this time to just observe the mansion.
There was so much luxury within reach that it was a bit jarring. The walls were covered in immaculate art pieces. The paintings themselves almost felt alive, as there was mana gently pulsing from its canvas.
However, what caught his attention was a particular massive painting. It was probably around the size of a small movie theatre screen and it was one of the most fascinating things he had seen. Whereas the other painting felt alive, this one actually looked alive.
The scene depicted in the painting was a simple view of the plains they had seen when traveling to Blumand. However, where it was different was that the image actually moved. The tall grass gently swayed across the canvas, the sun dancing just over the horizon glistening and the birds in the sky flapping their wings.
The Marquis stopped when he noticed Julius’s attention. “My mother made that,” he said proudly. “She was a talented fighter but an even more brilliant artist. She had a way of infusing her mana and Concepts into her work in a way I haven’t seen many others do.”
It was only then that Julius realized what else was so different. Beneath the layers of paint and mana, there were profound Concepts almost peeking their heads behind the tall grass. He tried to get a sense of what they were and found himself completely lost within its scenery.
For some reason, something pulled him in, like a whirlpool that had him totally enraptured. It was only when he felt Reinera give him a soft poke did he realized that he had spaced out.
He blinked several times to get his bearings again, but he couldn’t help but notice the intense look Casidus had given him.
***
When they arrived at the chambers, Julius was surprised.
It wasn’t like he had been imagining at all. In his mind, he had been prepared for a bare cellar or underground ritual chamber like the one he had been to for his affinity ritual all that time ago.
Instead, what he saw was pretty much a normal bedroom that was covered from wall to floor with enchantments. The bedroom was of course much larger than any normal bedroom, but there was even furniture placed in the room. It looked like it was built for comfort.
“Not what I was expecting,” he commented.
“What were you expecting? Some dark dungeon with only cold rock to keep you company?” Reinera asked, joking with him.
However, when he didn’t laugh and looked at her while scratching his head she opened her mouth in disbelief. Her poised demeanor crumbled away just a bit. “You did! You really thought that’s what we were going to experience.”
The Marquis who had been about to leave after explaining the basics of the chambers to them stopped and gave Julius a disgruntled look. He just shook his head and said to them, “Remember, if you need anything, just press the white glowing button and someone will come and assist you.”
Julius and Reinera both thanked the man and watched as he left to go do some important Patriarch stuff.
He gave Reinera a questioning glance. “How long do you think you will need to advance to Tier 3?”
“It’s kind of hard to say. A lot of people advance at different rates. My cousin took almost a week to advance, whereas her brother took only a couple of hours. I am hoping that I am at least somewhere in between.”
“A whole week? Is that normal?”
“You don’t know the process? I know that Professor Youma explained to our class the general process,” she said to him.
“I understand the process, but he never mentioned how long it would take. He just said that some people have an easier time melding their souls and cores into their body, while others have a more difficult time,” he defended himself. Although, he admitted to himself that it was likely he hadn't been paying attention at the time.
“And what? You think you might take a long time?”
“I don’t know, maybe.”
“Don’t worry about it. It’s why we have these chambers. They are used in order for you to take as much time as you need. They create the perfect atmosphere to facilitate advancement. The ambient mana is balanced, the enchantments protect the room from any outside interference, and nobody can interrupt you unless you want them to. There is a reason why these kinds of chambers are so expensive for the normal person,” she explained.
“Expensive?” He asked curiously.
“Oh yeah, it probably costs them a lot of cores to keep this room running. It is only a room meant for Tier 2s, but if you wanted to rent a room like this in the outside world, you would have to spend a good amount of money to use it.”
Julius looked at the two rooms with a little more care. “Well, then what are we waiting around for? The last one who advances has to buy the others whatever they want to eat?” He proposed to her.
She grinned at him, her teeth brilliantly shining at him with a predatory smile. “Deal.”
***
He closed the door and retreated to the most comfortable-looking chair he spotted.
Until I reach Tier 3, I will be staying in this room for the time being, he told himself.
It felt kind of weird that he was planning to advance to Tier 3 now. He had half expected that he would advance to Tier 3 during his fight with Dustin or some other fight. He was glad though that he was able to do so at his own pace.
He felt prepared, and after these past few days, he managed to squeeze out a few more levels of his skills.
He did a quick checklist of what he had.
Name: Julius Von Hyperius
Tier: 2
Skills:
[Armaments of the Arcane lvl 7] (Epic)
[Sage of Savagery lvl 7] (Epic)
[Phoenix Renewal lvl 4] (Epic)
[Empowerment of Will lvl 19] (Rare+)
[Barrier of Severance lvl 15] (Rare+)
[Soul Tempering lvl 6] (Rare+)
[Spatial Perception lvl 19] (Rare)
[Kinetic Augmentation lvl 19] (Rare)
[Flash Step lvl 10] (Rare)
Current Skill Slots: 9/11
Concepts:
[Concept of Sharpness]
[Severing Will]
[Concept of Will]
[Inexorable Resolve]
[Concept of Phoenix]
[Ashen Rebirth]
Three epic skills alone were three more than most Tier 2s would ever be able to acquire. It was only due to his unique situation that he was able to do so.
It wasn’t just that either. He also had six rare skills, most of which were at the end of rare rank. If that wasn’t enough he had three Concepts were used for each of his epic skills.
He doubted that in the world, there could be many, if any people who could say they have gained so much at Tier 2. He was confident that there wasn’t anymore he could do in Tier 2. He was ready to advance and continue his improvement.
He would need to if he truly wanted to stand on equal standing with the rest of the world.
This whole experience had taught him one thing. It wasn’t enough to be able to beat Tier 3s. He could be satisfied with just that. He needed to be able to beat Tier 4s as well.
That was the standard he needed to go after. Tier 3s were common, but being able to beat a Tier 4 was a mark of being able to stand up to the world.
He gritted his teeth tightly, recalling the feeling of defeat he felt when Dustin beat him not long ago. No matter how much he was grateful for Dustin and his mercy, he still felt the sting of defeat deeply within his heart.
He didn’t want that to happen again. And if he wanted to change that, he needed to grow stronger.
He clenched one fist and gazed at the potion that he held within his other fist. It was the same one that Marquis Easten had given him and Reinera.
This would be his opportunity.
He would advance to Tier 3, no matter what. It didn’t matter how long he had to stay in this room, he vowed to himself that he wasn’t leaving this room until he achieved his goal.
So with a resolved grin, he uncapped the potion and poured it straight down his gullet. He was so focused that he didn’t even pay attention to the surprisingly tasty and fruity flavor of the potion. He simply sat down on the chair and closed his eyes.
Comments
Fortunis
I feel like they should maybe mention the hidden undead dungeon with the potential to break and swarm the town with the orphanage in it. Sure OldMan could probably clear it, but warning people it's there seems prudent.
PikaAndrew
Tftc
Paul Smith
I feel like Julius and Reinera are great together, they kind of balance each other out as well.
MyriadFish
My guess is space concept was in the painting and that is what drew him in.
George McKibbin
So pumped for advancement!
Hamfist
I thought that at first but after thinking some more I suspect the painting contains spatial concepts to create a sense of depth and Cassidus recognized that Julius must have a powerful space affinity to have been drawn into it so strongly.
Connor Charlton
Maybe Cassidus will draw parallels between his mothers concept painting and Julius' toy soldier, especially after that significant look
Hamfist
Just thinking and it occurs to me that the kids being in seclusion is a good time for an intermission showing us Lily receiving the letter, what Amelia has been doing, and maybe an adult finally noticing the toy soldier. Also, the longer they are here the greater the chance for news to arrive about the missing princess. Imagine their faces if they step out of isolation and find Amelia waiting for them.
Hamfist
it last leveled way back in the t3 rift where Declan watched him fight the wolves so it seems due. I think that it is stuck waiting for t3 and will advance as soon he wakes up.
Derek Walker
It also seems he maybe should’ve put some thought into trying to get his body augmentation skill while tiering up. Seems there may be an advantage there
A B
Yeah, same. I guess people tried to post something that Patreon prohibits and it got blocked. Of course, it's patreon so I still get a notification for something that doesn't exist lol. sigh.
FillerArc
I don't see any replies to this, except maybe mine now ?
A B
Weird. I keep getting notifications about replies but the notifications just say "there was an error" lol Folks getting foul-mouthed or something?
Derek Walker
My guess is he messes up the chamber by taking in so much mana. His capacity is like the equivalent of dozen tier 2s it seems so the chamber is likely not built for that
Hamfist
Not sure about her brother but in the rift she was thinking about a genius cousin that was able to kill hordes of t3 monsters while only t2
Ryan Hall
I genuinely can't remember if Reinera's brother is the genius or her cousin is the genius. But that probably suggests which way Julius's advancement will go
Amari Charles
I was thinking the opposite actually
Ryan Hall
My prediction is that Julius will advance absurdly quickly because his soul is already so large. But interested to see the results. Thanks for the chapter!
Voral
I'm betting on Julius to take over a month to advance 👀
Nederdeader
I think his soul will evolve when he advances, so he should still be a step ahead.
Ryan
Sorry, I forgot to edit that detail in the previous chapters. It is actually level 7 and I am just a silly goose.
Usernames_are_annoying
That’s what I was thinking 😂
Usernames_are_annoying
Who wants to bet it’ll take under an hour or over a week? Also I think when he advances the people around him will feel it and the people in the manor will sense his advancement and be shocked.
R. Maxwell Steele
I was hoping he'd evolve his soul again before binding it to his body. Having his soul always 1 rank ahead. At this point the soul advantage over others seems to be shrinking over time. And his soul got wrecked and the elites caught up soul-wise. At least his core is still somewhat stronger than others.
A B
Edit suggestions: Concepts were used -> Concepts which were used If that wasn’t enough he had-> If that wasn’t enough, he had many, if any people -> many, if any, people anymore he could -> any more he could wanted to stand on equal standing -> wanted to stand on equal footing could be satisfied -> couldn't be satisfied
Raymond Mouton
Thanks for the Chapter. Time to see what his advancement looks like…
Kevin McKinney
So many teasers!
Hamfist
Can't wait to see how they do in tier 3. BTW, [Armaments of the Arcane] progressed to level 8 in chapter 212.
Azulmar
Found the story over the weekend and I'm loving it but ugh! I hate being caught up.
Zach
WOOHOOO ITS TIME!!! TFTC! Starting bets on advancement taking place in less than 2 minutes!
Sean
Welp, he said the line. Last time he vowed not to leave a room he overtaxed his soul for a weak fire concept. Hopefully this time is different.
11037
Next chapter: One hundred years later...
ZeroL
He is either going to take 10 seconds or a month, depending on how all the stuff in his soul affects the process (positively or negatively). Feel like he takes longer because of how much there is to integrate.
Profile Name
Tyftc
RedLeaf
Thanks for the chapter!
Orthneil Kelley Jr.
Thanks for the chapter
Quentin Cozzi
Thanks for the chapter!
