POV: Cynrik
Once he had verified the information listed in the contract was accurate, Cynrik tossed the paper back to Professor Morningdale.
“Thank you, Professor; I have completed the requested saturation and read through the contract; I will now move on to absorbing the proper resources and beginning my Advancement. Professor, I will be in your care. Oh, and if I suddenly blank out at the end of this event, it is because of a particular cultivation skill that allows me to consolidate my strength, so don’t panic if I suddenly seem to drain all my energy. If this occurs, and I appear injured, I will require you to use healing skills or materials on me.”
That said, Cynrik ignored her response and began consuming all of the resources handed over by Headmaster Rivia.
Tearing the packaging on the Efficiency booster, which resembled a yogurt tube, Cynrik downed both before moving on to the Metabolism Boosters, which resembled a pack of potato chips. Feeling overly bloated and full, Cynrik rolled the Mental Fortification Pills around his left palm like marbles.
“What is the matter Student Ivar?” Noticing Cynrik’s hesitation, Professor Morningdale gave him a strange look.
“Hm, oh, I am still on the fence about whether or not I need these things, and before you say it, I know all about how they are recommended, but I am a bit different. The pain won’t stop me, and it doesn’t hold me back as expected and calling my Will Power into question is unnecessary.”
Professor Morningdale was rendered speechless at how casually Cynrik was handling the situation. Before she could advise him about the benefits of using the Mental Fortification Pills, Cynrik popped all of them into his mouth and crunched them into powder loudly.
Next, he picked up the five Affinity stones in his right hand and the Evolution stone in his left, triggering the start of notification spam.
-The Host has met the requirements for Tier-3 Evolution-
-Primary Level Capped.- (Complete)
-Primary Class Level Capped.- (Complete)
-Sub-Class Level Capped.- (Complete)
-Body Strength Tier-3.- (Complete)
-Tier-3 Codex.- (Complete)
-Minimum 10k Mana Pool.- (Complete)
-Two Stats at 1500 or Higher.- (Complete)
-All Stats minimum of 65% to Cap *1137*.- (Complete)
-Dexterity Stat check has revealed it is Capped.
-Agility Stat check has revealed it is Capped.
-Origin Affinity at Tier-3.- (Complete)
-Scanning for Evolution Catalysts.-
-Tier-3 Evo-Stone Piece has been Located.-
-Dark Affinity Stone Piece has been Located.-
-Fire Affinity Stone Piece has been Located.-
-Lightning Affinity Stone Piece has been Located.-
-Wind Affinity Stone Piece has been Located.-
-Tier-3 Neutral Affinity Stone Piece has been Located.-
-All items have been Accepted as proper Catalysts.-
-Would you like to begin the Evolution to Tier-3 (Y/N)-
-Reminder, the process will be halted at 50% so that the Passing Down of the Tribulation Quest can begin.-
Wearing a cocky smirk, Cynrik removed his Uniform Blazer, stored it in his inventory, rolled out his shoulders, and popped his neck loudly.
‘Let’s do this shit; you can begin, Tobs,’ Cynrik thought as he pressed the Yes option, closed his eyes, and readied himself for the incoming pain by taking a deep, slow breath.
-Beginning Evolution to Tier-3.-
-Linking The Over-Break System to the Chain Breaking Formation.-
-Available Ambient Mana is Sufficient.-
-Absorbing All Mana stored in the Dark Affinity Stone Piece.-
-Absorbing All Mana stored in the Fire Affinity Stone Piece.-
-Absorbing All Mana stored in the Lightning Affinity Stone Piece.-
-Absorbing All Mana stored in the Wind Affinity Stone Piece.-
-Absorbing All Mana stored in the Neutral Affinity Stone Piece.-
-Beginning Complete Reforging.-
-Mana Codex is being restructured.-
-Mana Circuits are being strengthened and expanded.-
-Mana Codex is being strengthened.-
-Mana Codex is Expanding.-
-Density of collected Mana is evolving.-
-Attempting to break the restraints of the Mortal Stage.-
-Analyzing Hosts Body Tempering.-
-The Host currently has a Tier-3 Body, breaking it down to strengthen further to meet the standards of The Supernatural Stage.-
-Rebuilding muscular structure.-
-Rebuilding skeletal structure.-
As Cynrik’s body tensed up briefly, a light red, almost clear liquid began to flow out of his eyes, nose, ears, and mouth. However, to Professor Morningdale’s surprise, the boy did not even flinch, although she knew very well how much pain he was currently experiencing. With his eyes closed and breathing steady, it would appear that Cynrik was sleeping if you ignored the leaking fluid.
-Current Evolution 1%, time remaining until forced stop =59 minutes.-
‘Eh, this isn’t so bad, Tob’s; how could this pain level be rated so high by you? It doesn’t even come close to what I experienced while carving on my Codex.’ Activating [Mana Sight] and watching the changes occurring in his body in real-time, Cynrik acknowledged that the Evolution process hurt, but it was well within his acceptable tolerance.
-This is only the beginning, Cynrik. What you feel now is only the initial triggering of the Evolution process. The highest pain level will occur after you complete your trial and Tribulation quest. Currently, you are indeed feeling what the CSH classifies as a 12/20. But be advised, if and when you complete your Tribulation Quest, you will break past 15/20 and have to deal with similar pain to when you carved your Codex because of how high your stats are.-
‘Oi, OI TOBS, come on now, why do you have to raise flags like that? What the hell do you mean If and When?’ Feeling wronged, Cynrik complained immediately after hearing what the AI had to say.
The thought of failure had never crossed his mind, but the fact that Tobs had left his accomplishing Tier-3 in the air unsettled him.
-I am not raising these metaphorical “flags” that you speak of so often. Instead, I am being realistic. More than 70% of beings that attempt their Tier-3 Advancement fail the first time. You are no exception to this rule, nor are Brance or any other member of MyrkLys.-
‘Huh? 75%; what the fuck kind of figure is that? It’s a ¾ drop-out rate!’
-Although many factors can lead to a being failing their Advancement, the leading cause is the Tribulation Quest. They are tailor-made for the individual. Of that 75% that fail, 21% of beings don’t even make it to their Tribulation Quest, be it because of intense pain or some other external reason.-
‘Sigh, I may have treated this Evolution too lightly; nonetheless, I have prepared everyone both physically and mentally, so they won’t end up in that 21%…well, maybe Melody might. That girl is pretty soft, even though she has a high Will Power Stat.’ Cynrik thought as he felt the pain of his Evolution run through his body in waves.
Looking around his body, Cynrik eventually lost interest in the slow internal chain of occurrences and instead decided to examine the circular spell formation carved into the rocky ground.
Unlike before he began his Advancement, the runes were now glowing bright blue and appeared to have come to life. Each millimeter-sized rune squirmed and moved ever so slightly, something that didn’t escape Cynrik’s sharp eyesight, even if his eyes were closed at the moment.
‘Tobs, I know that Umbridge explained the purpose of this Formation, but you have to have some additional information. Can you explain to me what exactly it does?’
-It is an intricately woven sequence of runes that not only requires a specific catalyst to be written with and a unique platform to be carved on, but it is also a Tier-7 formation that requires a Grandmaster of Runic Inscriptions to write.-
-The purpose of said Formation is to draw upon immense amounts of Mana and focus it directly onto the being within its perimeter. Doing so allows any being attempting to Advance their Stage a proper nourishing environment devoid of outside stimuli or Mana.-
-Once a being steps inside, it will be trapped and rendered unable to leave until either the Mana supplying the Formation is insufficient to sustain its activation or the being successfully reaches the 50% mark of its Evolution.-
‘All that done by a bunch of squiggles carved into the rock, Vinestra never ceases to amaze me,’ clicking his tongue and going back to examining his body, Cynrik’s eyes moved back and forth between himself and the Formation.
Thanks to [Mana Sight], he could see the liquid-like Mana being absorbed from all around the room into the Formation.
-Current Evolution 39%, time remaining until forced stop =13 minutes, 12 seconds.-
-Current Evolution, 48% time, remaining until forced stop = 2 minutes, 24 seconds.-
-You have reached the 50% mark of your Evolution. Your Advancement has been paused, and the Chain Breaking Formation has completed its cycle.-
-Please vacate the Formation and head to an Aether Capsule to obtain your Tribulation Quest.-
Taking a deep breath and opening his eyes with some effort, thanks to the crusted light red fluid, Cynrik stretched his arms behind his back and stood up as if he had woken up from a nap.
“Oh? Finished already? That was quick, congratulations for making it to the halfway point, many don’t make it this far, but I had no doubt you would pass this checkpoint.” Beaming like a proud parent, Professor Morningdale retrieved a cloth and some water before handing it to Cynrik to clean the excess grime off his face.
“Thank you, Professor, it was a piece of cake.” Receiving the cloth, Cynrik began scrubbing his eyes and cheeks roughly before continuing to speak with the beady-eyed plump woman.
But when he looked back at her, the proud smile was gone, and in its place was a stern, almost worried expression.
“Unfortunately, that was the easy part, Student Ivar. I will admit you handled the first part with grace and apparent ease, but the next half is the most trying and challenging part of any Stage Advancement.” Walking over to the Formation and adding a bit of her own Mana to reset it, Professor Morningdale turned and faced Cynrik again.
“I don’t mean to intimidate you, but of the Students who have come through our halls, in the last 50 years, we have seen a failure rate of 92% when it comes to the Tier-3 Advancement.”
“Huh, 92%? Why so many?” Playing dumb, Cynrik asked; meanwhile, his mind whirled on all cylinders.
‘Tobs, I thought you said Tier-3 only had a 75% failure rate. Is there something wrong with how the Academy handles Evolutions?’
“Yes, you heard me right, 92%. We have never been able to figure out the reasoning. All our Staff who are on retainer to become Chaperones follow the proper guidelines handed down by the CSH. Yet, of all the Academies, we have the highest failure rate, with the second highest being Quest Combat Academy at 77%.”
‘FUCK ME! Tobs, Scan the Aether Capsule and report any anomalies to me this instant! If you find any irregularities, I want to know about it before I step into that fucking sarcophagus.’
-On it, running initial scanning protocols. The time remaining until the scan is complete is 15 minutes; please hold off on continuing your Advancement until you hear back from me.-
-This series is exclusively published on AllNovelFull if you are reading it anywhere else…You Wrong, Fam. PS Check out the discord, https:///dcxKNJEMwg-
