Chapter 39

【Notice: Growth results from the main storyline's progression are now applied.】

【Character Stat Change Notification】

• Mana Capacity: C+ → B- (Tier increase)

• Spell Accuracy: C+ → B (Tier increase)

• Mana Quality: D → C (Grade increase)

【Notice: A new skill is available for acquisition.】

【Notice: The LV.2 Hidden Shop can now be accessed.】

'So defeating Oz earned me additional growth. ...Well, at least that means I only need to close a little more gap.'

The moment Mikhail blinked after checking the contents, the system messages hovering in the air scattered into tiny pieces and vanished.

A brief silence followed beneath the quiet night sky.

Before long, the sky foxes rustled about and settled back into their sleeping spots.

The warmth that traveled through where their bodies touched his skin was comforting. Mikhail lowered his slightly heavy eyelids.

"......"

Then he drifted off.

When he opened his eyes again, the sun was high overhead.

Mikhail dragged himself upright. He was rubbing his stiff neck and glancing around when—

"...?"

Something sat on the bedside table.

A three-dimensional formula puzzle box.

And a note placed on top of it.

'What's this?'

Mikhail picked up the note.

On the smooth paper, a single message was scrawled in light, breezy handwriting, as if someone had been whistling while they wrote.

[Wishing you a safe return from three days of confinement.]

[Lloyd Cloelle.]

---

His discharge came roughly two more days after that.

Ethan had been right. The moment he finished the discharge paperwork and stepped out of the hospital room, he was moved straight to the confinement quarters.

Mikhail shouldered a bag packed with a few personal items and stepped inside.

The room, barely two or three pyeong, held nothing but a single bed, a desk, a small table, and a shelf.

"......"

Mikhail surveyed the room, sat down at the desk, and pulled a stack of papers from his bag to set on the surface.

The theory class replacement assignments. He'd already earmarked these as the first order of business and kept them in mind.

[Assignment: Continental Terrain and Landmarks. Distribution of Magical Beasts.]

[Assignment: Principles of Tactics and Strategy.]

[Assignment: Fundamentals and Applications of Formula Analysis.]

...Mikhail picked up his pen and set his hand moving.

The first day in confinement passed like that, and the morning of the second day arrived.

Scratch.

Mikhail, seated at the desk, stopped his leisurely-moving hand and slid the last sheet of paper aside.

He let out a bored sigh, set down the pen he'd been gripping, and tapped the densely written stack of papers against the table to straighten them before stretching.

"Kang."

Right then. The sky foxes, who'd been rolling around nearby, spotted a butterfly outside the window and darted out after it.

Mikhail watched the retreating balls of fur for a moment, then stood from his seat and walked to the shelf in the corner.

The next stretch of academic activity after confinement ended.

The free mission period.

Before entering a new phase of growth, he wanted to review what he'd gained from the last main storyline.

Clatter.

What he dug out of his bag was the skill stone earned from his desperate battle with the snow-white magical beast, Oz.

[Magic: Control]

[A support skill that increases magic power and stability by controlling mana's inherent properties or assigned attributes. Allows adjustment of magic effects by consuming mana.]

Mikhail was silently studying the magic formula drawn on its smooth surface when—

Pop!

【Notice: Due to the influence of [Stat: Intelligence], structural comprehension of the formula is complete.】

【Notice: Skill [Magic: Control] has been acquired.】

Mikhail checked the system message floating in the air and tilted his head slightly.

'I didn't expect to get Control this way... but either way, this works out. From now on, there won't be any accidental slip-ups with the eradication ability.'

Mikhail set the skill stone down and stood up.

This time he headed for the table by the window—where Lloyd's formula puzzle sat.

Mikhail picked up the puzzle box and recalled the item's setting.

[Item: Formula Puzzle, Mage Advanced Grade]

[A magic three-dimensional puzzle imbued with mana. Completing the formula in its correct form causes it to transform, granting the solver a special stat increase. Estimated completion time: 2-3 days.]

Clatter.

Mikhail carried the puzzle box to the carpet, sat down, and dumped everything inside onto the floor.

Clatter-clatter-clatter.

Nearly identical puzzle pieces rained down onto the thick carpet.

Mikhail glanced at the pieces, then pulled out the enclosed instruction sheet and studied it.

Printed on the white paper was the shape of the three-dimensional formula the puzzle pieces were meant to form.

"......"

Mikhail set the paper down and picked up a piece.

Click. Clack.

His hands moved without a shred of hesitation, connecting pieces to the steady rhythm of each snap. The clues—the variations in each joint, the angle of every piece—locked together with the diagram he'd just memorized, drawing out the answer.

'This is easy. At this rate, I could finish it in less than half a—'

Crunch.

An off sound cut through. Mikhail looked at his fingertips and furrowed his brow. For some reason, the piece wouldn't slot in properly.

"What's wrong? Why won't this go in?"

Mikhail grumbled and pressed harder.

His trembling fingertips pushed at the stubborn piece that refused to fit snugly into place.

The pieces gradually meshed together and found their positions.

Slip.

But it lasted only a moment.

The piece he'd been forcing in slipped out of place and knocked hard into the nearly completed puzzle structure.

Clatter.

The puzzle lost its balance, tilted lifelessly, and shattered apart, scattering like grains of sand.

"......"

Mikhail stared at the scattered pieces with a hollow expression.

Then he let out an irritated sigh and scrubbed his hands roughly through his hair.

'Seriously, the lousy hardware must run in the family.'

---

The next day. Early morning.

Mikhail sat at the table with his chin propped in his hand, gazing at the softly glowing puzzle.

The moment the puzzle had taken on the complete formula's shape, it transformed into an intricate miniature.

Now it had the appearance of a black spire standing tall amid a blizzard.

[Formula Puzzle: Northern Spire] [The extreme cold wasteland. An outpost overlooking the eternal snowfields. This spire, soaring as if to pierce the sky, is said to rival the height of the Holy Tower in the capital. Perhaps due to the sheer intimidation the structure exudes, various rumors swirl about the spire's peak—but in truth, no one knows what lies there. Save for the lone ruler of the North....]

'The ruler of the North.'

Mikhail let out a thin, contemplative sound and calmly reviewed the settings related to that figure... his father.

Joseph Senit.

A great mage of common birth who governed the North, the one who built the bulwark protecting the kingdom on the front lines of the extreme wasteland.

Having shaken the existing order with remarkable ability, he carried his share of weighty enemies and allies alike.

Some of his actions were significant enough to influence aspects of the main storyline's progression.

But one thing—any setting related to Mikhail himself, the heir who'd died young—was a complete blank.

'Unfortunately, that kind of detail wasn't needed for immediate development at the time... Damn, if I'd known this would happen, I would've fleshed something out.'

A creeping dissatisfaction spread from somewhere in his chest. Mikhail let out a groan and tilted his head back.

"......"

Still, there was one consolation. It seemed the relationship between Joseph and himself wasn't entirely the worst.

If he had to sum up Joseph's temperament in a word, it would be: perpetually expressionless and perpetually silent.

A man as cold as a sheet of ice.

And yet, despite that temperament, he'd personally written and sent a letter worrying about his son's safety...

Pop!

Mikhail was narrowing his brow with a low hum when a flash of light burst before his eyes.

He brought his tilted head forward.

【Notice: The completion effect of [Item: Formula Puzzle] increases the character's stats.】

'Oh, right.'

Mikhail rolled his eyes from the message to the spire miniature on the table.

"......"

The effect of the formula puzzle Lloyd had given him.

It was the type that raised whichever magic-related stat had contributed most to completing the puzzle by one tier.

Normally, that meant the Intelligence stat—the one that aided formula comprehension and analysis—would go up, but...

【Notice: [Stat: Intelligence] exceeds the category eligible for increase via item effect.】

【Notice: The next eligible stat, [Stat: Impact Reduction], will increase instead.】

【Character Stat Change Notification】

• Impact Reduction: D- → D (Tier increase)

'Well, my base Intelligence stat was considerably high to begin with. Enough to surpass most other major characters.'

Mikhail blinked and nodded without fuss.

When he turned his mind to what came next, the system message rewrote itself with new text.

Pop!

【Notice: Hidden Shop function is now activated.】

• Current Balance: 10pt

[LV.2 Hidden Shop]

[View Items for Sale ▼]

(1) [Equipment: Blazing Comet's Hat]

(2) [Skill: Muscle Strengthening]

(3) [Affinity: Himalayan Headcat]

(4) [Unique Talent Awakening Stone: First Fragment]

.

.

Mikhail scanned the golden-lit catalog one item at a time, then reached toward a single entry.

There was one item that would cost him several times the effort to obtain if he didn't secure it now.

[Selected Item]

• [Unique Talent Awakening Stone: First Fragment]

• Price: 10pt

Confirm purchase?

Mikhail gave a small nod, and the system text dissolved into bright light and vanished.

What appeared in its place was a dull gray crystal.

The crystal drifted down with a faint glow and settled gently into Mikhail's palm.

Clatter.

Mikhail looked down at the crystal in his grip.