CH295 A Student's Tale

***

Merlin let Senu return to Alex, the Nightmare Eagle landing lightly on his shoulder again.

"It just sort of happened," Alex said with a faint smile.

"Mid-stage Intermediate rank," Merlin assessed calmly. "Not bad. Looks like you haven't been slacking."

"I think it's actually slow." Alex sighed. "Everyone around me is already at the peak—or about to reach Elite rank. Zora's on the verge of becoming a Great Mage."

"Don't be hasty, Alex." Merlin smiled knowingly. "Your progress is more than fast enough. With the exception of Zora, you're not really that much weaker than those you compare yourself to, are you?"

"No… I'm not," Alex admitted with a nod. "I can hold my own against at least a mid-stage Elite rank."

"Exactly." Merlin's eyes glinted. "Between your fused bloodline, your Affinity and Mana Capacity talents, and your unique Rune-Tech platform, you cannot be measured by the same yardstick as ordinary mages. It's unfair to yourself—and to them."

He continued, his tone steady but firm:

"All things considered, your pace is remarkable. The flipside of your advantages is that they take longer to cultivate. You have a larger mana capacity, so filling it takes more time. And your Rune-Tech? Entirely new. You're building it as you go, which means progress relies on insights and epiphanies only you can discover. No one else can walk that path for you."

Merlin gestured, and the cavern floor shifted. Two smooth rock seats and a broad stone platform rose up. Senu immediately leapt from Alex's shoulder to perch proudly on the larger platform, while Alex and Merlin took the smaller seats.

"So yes," Merlin said, leaning forward slightly, "your visible rank may look slower compared to others. But your true strength is advancing faster than theirs. This will only become more important as you rise. What matters is that you fully excavate your potential at each rank, rather than rushing for breakthroughs. Let progression come naturally."

He smiled faintly. "That's what Zora has been doing. If she hadn't, she would already be a Grand Mage by now with her talent."

Alex's jaw nearly dropped. A Grand Mage?

The shock settled quickly, but when he thought about it, it made sense. Zora's talent was cursed—a gift that threatened her life with every step. For such a deadly price, it had to offer immense power in return.

"Furthermore," Merlin added, "as a noble, having a lower rank but higher combat strength is actually an advantage when you embark on your first interplanar journey."

Alex nodded slowly. He understood.

Interplanar travel had its rules and limitations—especially during a maiden voyage to a new plane.

A Space Gate worked by folding the fabric of space, shortening the vast distance between worlds before piercing a hole through which beings could pass. But the first connection was always fragile. The fold and the hole existed only from one side, and was vulnerable to disruption.

That was where the Will Consciousness of a Plane came in. Semi-sentient and charged with guarding its world, no Plane's Will accepted such invasions without resistance.

This was why the first voyage had to be made with limited manpower and resources. An internal stabilisation point had to be created within the new Plane before stronger forces could arrive.

And those limitations were strict. The strength of each entrant directly influenced how many others could pass before the Plane's Will awoke and pushed back. If someone exceeded the Plane's strength ceiling, the Will would lash out, doing everything possible to collapse the Gate.

So weaker individuals had to be sent first—those whose surface rank seemed to meet the threshold but whose true power far surpassed it. Once inside, they could fortify the Gate and open the way for greater forces.

It was a tried-and-true tactic, one reason noble houses and great sects trained their heirs to fight far above their ranks.

One of many methods Pangea had refined to wage its endless conquests.

Merlin's lips curved knowingly. "Now then, knowing you, I suspect you've brought back more than just beasts. I imagine you have quite a few stories from your recent journey home."

Alex gave a small smile and nodded. He had been prepared for this. And so, he began to recount his travels.

"I was almost assassinated before I even reached Ashen Castle. Your warning was what saved me…"

"When I got back, Father told me the origin of the Fury Family... After hearing the story, I underwent the awakening ceremony again. That's when I fully awakened my Furor Bloodline—and in the process, I manifested its True Name. That caused my two bloodlines and the Dragon Essence lingering in me to finally fuse completely. Afterwards, I manifested a True Name for the fused bloodline as well..."

Alex's lips barely stopped moving as he narrated.

"Not long after, I discovered Father's second wife, Joseline Holt, was conspiring with certain disgruntled Fury branches. They promised to support her son in usurping my position as heir in exchange for resources. That ended with me fighting my half-brother Kurt in a life-and-death duel…"

Then, Alex recounted how, after securing his position, he was tasked with leading a platoon into the Dankrot Forest. It was supposed to be a routine sweep for signs of a beast tide. Instead, it became clear it was far more—a conspiracy.

"…while fighting goblins, I found their shamans had developed a Grade 5 spell. Interesting, though lacking in its current form... After that, we faced a troll, then uncovered multiple goblin cells. It was during that search that I discovered Senu's egg... A drake guardian was actually protecting the goblins, and after we slew it, a Legendary Dragon—Zilbris—appeared. I had to use the Dragon Tongue you taught me, along with the essence you left in our bond, to scare him off. In the end, I obtained the heart of a stillborn Class 8 infant from the encounter..."

Alex described his adventures in detail. Unlike the last time he'd debriefed him—after returning from the Sanctuary Subspace—Merlin remained mostly quiet. The Ancient Dragon's avatar only smiled, watching how Alex explained his methods for handling each crisis.

But when Alex reached the part about scaring off Zilbris, Merlin burst into booming laughter.

Later, when Alex told him about the territorial war against the Kellermans, Merlin's smile faded. He listened quietly—until Alex mentioned the Legendary assassination attempt.

The air shook. Killing intent erupted from Merlin, rattling the cavern like a storm. But just as quickly, it vanished, contained in an instant.

Taking a breath, the old man's avatar steadied himself and leaned forward.

"Alright," Merlin said at last. "That was quite the tale, boy—but you left out the part I'm most interested in." His eyes gleamed with curiosity.

"Tell me. How much has your Rune-Tech improved?"

***

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