Sovereign of the Ashes

Sein’s mind held vivid memories of that initiate, yet the name eluded him.

Snapped from his trance, he noticed the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring badge before him, now remodeled.

“Distraction during alchemy is a grave error. Master Morsidor would have surely hit me with his rod if he were with me right now,” Sein mumbled to himself.

Modifying the divine tower badge was not as demanding as other experiments.

Dismantling it and examining the interior, Sein pinpointed the source of the golden glow.

It came from the core of the badge that housed not only the Gravitational Shield, an effective shield-type disengagement magic spell, but also recorded his score.

Earlier, Sein contemplated altering the score in the divine tower badge.

He had already pinpointed the component requiring modification in case he decided to proceed.

However, considering his limited time and the potential risks of not being able to replace the badge if he accidentally destroyed it, he refrained from tampering with that core component.

Instead, he applied his alchemical expertise to overlay the core with a thin sheet of inert elemental metal made of chrome gold.

Around it, he meticulously micro-engraved three magic arrays—Elemental Absorption, Energy Shield, and Light Dispersal, into the divine tower badge.

The chrome gold, a magic metal, had been harvested from a small resource point in the trial space.

For most initiates, these resource points were only means to gain points and magicoins.

Yet, for an alchemist like Sein, they were a treasure trove of materials waiting to be gathered.

He even wondered if this trial space could yield all the resources he needed to become a Rank One mage.

Perhaps that was the hidden motive behind the Regional Inter-Divine Tower Academy Wars hosted by the major divine towers every fifty years.

The golden light from the modified Divine Tower of Verdant Spring badge was now mostly concealed.

Although not entirely invisible, it could be effectively masked with Sein’s invisibility cloak.

With the golden light managed, Sein exhaled in relief and turned his attention to the rest of his equipment.

The geo elemental shield ring, urgently needing repair, topped Sein’s list, along with his invisibility cloak, which he hoped to further enhance for stealth.

While modifying and repairing the magic equipment, Sein’s mana and focus levels recovered steadily.

Eventually, Sein extended his work beyond his familiar magic equipment, retrieving additional items from his space bangle for customization.

He continued mumbling to himself, “Using the Levitate spell so frequently is an unwarranted drain on my resources. My mana and focus reserves shouldn’t be squandered. Among the inheritance from Master Morsidor and my personal acquisitions over the years, the most efficient transportation method is...”

His gaze fell upon three metal discs, each marred by conspicuous cracks.

These discs were part of Master Morsidor’s legacy, varied in condition. One was relatively intact, while the others were severely cracked, beyond quick repair.

Sein recalled seeing them in action during Morsidor’s confrontation with Katherson who oversaw the plantation at the Black Magic Academy.

In terms of quality, the metal discs were definitely ranked magic artifacts.

Previously, Sein doubted his ability to repair such ranked magic artifacts, but crafting the Solar Eye Mask had bolstered his confidence and skill in alchemy.

With renewed determination, Sein placed the least damaged disc on his alchemy table, commencing its restoration.

***

After nearly a week, Sein successfully repaired the metal disk.

While it paled in comparison to the spectacle of several disks Master Morsidor once commanded, this lone disk sufficed for Sein’s travel needs.

Apart from being able to be powered by energy crystals, the disk operated with only five percent of the focus and mana typically required by the Levitate spell.

With this new mode of transportation secured, Sein turned his attention to dismantling the Divine Tower of Shadow badge for study.

He had several such badges in his possession and, upon examination, found little difference between those of the Divine Tower of Shadow and the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring.

His research was aimed to exploit certain features of the Divine Tower of Shadow badge that he had developed years earlier.

Observing the coordinates of nearby initiates displayed in his crystal ball, Sein could not suppress a cold laugh.

The trial space did not block the divine tower badge’s tracking ability, giving Sein an advantage in avoiding ambushes and hunting initiates from the Divine Tower of Shadow.

Sein remained secluded in the remote mountain pass for nearly two weeks.

Despite his isolation, he maintained his top position on the leaderboard.

The subdued golden light of his badge continued to glow faintly.

Casting one final glance at the mountain pass that had been his refuge for the past two weeks, Sein stepped onto the metal disk and flew northeast.

With a crystal ball in hand, he resembled a fully-armed hunter, embarking anew on his journey.

***

At the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring Academy, an eerie quiet had settled since Sein secured the top spot in the standings.

His stagnant score over the following two weeks stirred a sense of unease among the mages from the academy.

The moment Sein’s score soared again, Jovian exhaled a long-awaited sigh of relief.

He was not alone in his vigil; the three deans of the academy were also present.

“I’m at my limit. I return to catch some rest,” Eileen said, her hand clutching her chest.

Jovian was still fixated on the scoreboard, acknowledging her departure with a mere wave without even turning his head.

Beside Jovian, the three deans were equally engrossed in the scoreboard.

Archimedes, the eldest and most revered of the deans, asked, “Jovian, does this young man still lack a mentor?”

“I believe so. Medich had shown interest in mentoring him, but it seems nothing came of it,” Jovian replied, absentmindedly scratching his head.

“Are you interested in taking him under your wing, Dean?” Jovian could not help but ask.

Archimedes stroked his white beard, pausing before responding to Jovian’s question.