Multiversal Ascension

Chapter 102 - 102: Worrying News and the Mid-Term Exam

***

The End of Time is Coming!

As you probably know if you've been keeping up with the news over the last few days, the situation in the Mystoria Kingdom has taken a turn for the worse. The number of beast wave attacks has reached an inconceivably high level.

For those who are unaware, let me explain: In recent weeks, beast activity around certain towns has increased at an alarming rate, causing concern among the inhabitants of these areas.

At first, little action was taken, as nothing major had occurred. However, it soon became clear that the beast presence in the wilderness surrounding these towns was growing rapidly. Before long, full-scale beast wave began forming, catching the unprepared towns off guard. Since these were small towns with relatively few inhabitants, their defenders lacked the strength to resist, resulting in their complete destruction.

This news sent shockwaves through neighboring towns that had also noticed a rise in beast activity. In response, they urgently sent requests to the Central Academy, seeking aid in defending against the looming beast wave.

Of course, the Central Academy accepted these requests and swiftly deployed the majority of its students—accompanied by several teachers—to protect the towns from the advancing threats.

At this point, one might assume that the students of the Central Academy, the most prestigious academy in the kingdom, would be more than capable of effortlessly handling the beasts waves. Right? But, shockingly, that wasn't the case!

And yes, I said 'waves'—because unlike usual, this wasn't a single, unified beast wave moving in cohesion. No, multiple waves of beasts were arriving one after another. To make matters even worse, these waves were far larger than any typical beast wave seen before.

Taking these factors into account, the students struggled, but after a while, the teachers intervened upon realizing that the danger was too great. Following this, an investigation was launched into the source of the beast waves, as the situation was highly suspicious. It was soon discovered that a group of people had been using a sacrificial array to attract beasts and direct them toward the towns!

These individuals were, of course, captured, and it was revealed that their goal was to use the townspeople they lured the beasts toward as sacrifices. However, that was all that could be uncovered, as every single one of them possessed incredibly powerful mental defenses. The moment anyone attempted to read their minds or force a confession, they died instantly, preventing any further extraction of information regarding their true motives.

Of course, we are not entirely without leads, as several theories are circulating. The most popular among them—once dismissed as a conspiracy theory but now gaining credibility—suggests that these individuals are part of the Obsidian Covenant. But what is the Obsidian Covenant, you ask, if you're not one to indulge in conspiracy theories?

I won't go into all the details, but to put it simply, the Obsidian Covenant is a secret organization that operates from the shadows. Rumors suggest that their power rivals that of a duchy—perhaps even more! Their true strength remains unknown.

However, if it were only a matter of their strength, it wouldn't be enough to make them the prime suspect behind these town attacks. Power alone does not explain their motives.

That's where things get even more disturbing. The Obsidian Covenant is not just a clandestine organization; no, it is said that they are fanatics! According to reports, they worship demonic entities from a dimension called Nexoria.

If we assume that these attacks are part of some kind of ritual sacrifice to their dark deities, it paints a horrifying picture!

Of course, nothing is certain. While the Obsidian Covenant is currently the most widely accepted theory, it is not the only one, and there remains the possibility that the Covenant doesn't even exist. Other theories suggest different culprits, such as...

Mikael skipped this part as he knew what the truth was.

...Now that we've finished discussing the theories, let's address the real reason behind this article's ominous title: The End of Time is Coming!

After the students and teachers of the Central Academy defended the assigned towns, many believed that things would soon return to normal. But needless to say, that did not happen—otherwise, we wouldn't be here writing this article.

Following the initial town defenses, the students returned to the Academy, but the teachers were dispatched in large numbers to protect various settlements, as both the frequency and intensity of the beast waves continued to escalate.

Despite their efforts, the teachers were not limitless in number, and some attacks managed to break through, leading to the destruction of numerous villages, several towns, and even one city.

In response, His Majesty the King issued an official declaration, ordering the deployment of the army to combat this growing threat. He also announced that anyone found to be cooperating with or aiding this so-called 'theorist group' would be executed. A bounty was placed on those responsible, and alongside the military deployment, an extensive investigation was launched to track down the true culprits and eliminate them before they could strike again.

Following the King's decree, significant changes took place. With the army's intervention, the rate of village and town destructions decreased, but at the same time, the beast waves continued to grow in both number and intensity!

And that is what makes this situation truly terrifying. If these attacks continue to escalate, wouldn't there come a day when the entire kingdom itself is in jeopardy? If that moment arrives, it could very well spell the end for all of us!

Stay tuned for further updates on our potential impending doom!

Mikael finished reading the article, his brows furrowing as unease crept into his mind. 'This is a red flag among red flags! The so-called 'theorist group' they're talking about is the Obsidian Covenant, and they're performing large-scale sacrifices. Not only that, but they're tied to demonic entities from another dimension—Nexoria!'

A sense of foreboding settled in his chest, his fingers unconsciously tightening around the phone in his hand. 'If this isn't a sign that things are about to go to absolute shit, then I don't know what is!' The more he thought about it, the more an unsettling question formed in his mind. 'Is this my cue to get the hell out of this world?'

He exhaled sharply and shook his head, trying to steady his thoughts. 'Logically, this whole situation reeks of disaster, but I have an escape route. If things spiral out of control and the Obsidian Covenant actually manages to summon something catastrophic, I can leave anytime I want. At worst, I just grab Amelia and Lyra and get the hell out.'

But then, doubt crept in. 'Would they even want to leave? Lyra probably wouldn't hesitate—she doesn't have any real attachments to this world besides me and Amelia... But Amelia?' His jaw tightened as he thought about her. 'Her friendship with Aria, her father, the people she's connected to... Would she really be willing to abandon all that and just run?' He let out a quiet sigh, already picturing her reaction if the worst-case scenario unfolded.

Before his thoughts could spiral further, he forced himself to refocus. 'Maybe I'm overthinking this. Maybe nothing will happen... But just in case, I should change the focus of my training.' His mind shifted to his recent progress. 'Over the last four days, I managed to create an automated cleaning spell, a magical contraception spell, and a technique to conceal aura and mana. At the same time, I was nearing saturation in both my cores and was planning to break through... but with this situation—'

His expression hardened as his thoughts reached a conclusion. 'I should probably prioritize creating an item that functions as an automatic aura and mana generator. I always knew I would need something like this if I wanted to keep growing my mana and aura cores after leaving this world.'

'Now that my knowledge of arrays is advanced enough, I should finally be able to create what I envisioned. And honestly, it's crucial that I succeed before—or if—this world goes to shit!'

After these thoughts passed through Mikael's mind, he immediately got to work. Days blurred together as he immersed himself in his research, pushing forward with relentless focus until the midterm exam finally arrived.

***

At this moment, Mikael was inside the mansion, seated in a study room—though it had undergone several modifications compared to a typical one. Books on arrays were scattered across the room, some stacked haphazardly, others left open on different surfaces. On the desk sat a high-quality runic inscriber, accompanied by bottles of magical ink, their shimmering contents hinting at their potency.

Unlike the tools he had previously used, these were clearly of superior craftsmanship. However, they weren't the only notable additions to the room. On the floor beside him, small pieces of blue metal lay in disarray, evidence of his ongoing experiments.

And in the center of the room sat Mikael, cross-legged on the ground. In his hand was a peculiar item—a spherical object with an unusual design. At its core was a black orb, covered in numerous small glowing runes that pulsed with a soft blue mana light.

Surrounding this core were several small blue metal pieces, seamlessly fused to it. These pieces were also engraved with intricate runes, each radiating an aura of power.

As he observed the item in his grasp, Mikael grinned. "And it's pretty much finished—and working! An automatic aura and mana generator that creates mana and aura from 'nothing'!" he murmured to himself, satisfied with the result.

He stored the generator in his inventory before standing up, reflecting on his progress over the past few days. 'I broke through to E rank in both my mana and aura cores, but that's actually the least impressive thing I accomplished. This generator... it's truly a masterpiece. I'm pretty damn proud of it.'

'Of course, it's not perfect, but by using high-tier materials—spending all my credits combined with my advanced array knowledge and new understanding of layered arrays—I managed to create this masterpiece. It works in perpetual motion to generate mana and aura. It can produce 1,000 units of mana and aura per hour and store up to 10,000 units in the blue metal surrounding the black core!'

'By using this generator, I can hold it in my hand while training and grow my rank significantly faster than if I relied on even a high-rank mana and aura concentration array. If I absorb the stored mana and aura as I expend my own, my core will expand at an insane rate—100 units per hour!'

He marveled at the results. 'Sadly, I can't grow both my aura and mana cores at the same time, but even so, I'd still gain 50 units of each per hour. Compared to the less than 15 units I used to get, that's more than a threefold increase. Honestly, if I had known it would be this efficient, I would have started working on it much sooner.'

With these thoughts swirling in his mind, he cast a quick spell, tidying up the room. The scattered blue metal pieces floated off the floor and neatly arranged themselves on the desk beside the runic inscriber and bottles of magical ink.

Satisfied, he exited the study room and then the mansion itself, not running into Amelia or Lyra as they had already left for their own midterm exams. His first test was a written exam on arrays, and it was about to begin, prompting him to head toward his classroom.

Navigating the Academy's hallways, he soon arrived at the familiar room where his array lessons took place. Recently, attending these classes had become less and less useful, as his knowledge and proficiency in arrays had already surpassed that of his instructor...

So yeah, he wasn't learning much anymore. However, despite this, there were still things to pick up. While he excelled in theoretical and practical application, he lacked experience. Occasionally, the instructor would mention something useful, making it worth attending.

Author Note:

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