"I didn't expect you two to be here," Shang said as he looked at Duke Whirlwind and Mattheo.
Mattheo only smiled politely. "I am the future Duke, and father involves me more and more in these kinds of things."
Duke Whirlwind smiled with pride as he put a hand on Mattheo's shoulder. "He hasn't had it easy, but there is already no more doubt in my mind that he will reach the High Mage Realm. He will probably become even more powerful than me in the future."
Mattheo's expression didn't change at his father's words.
Shang could feel a certain distance between Mattheo and his father.
"Anyway, Shang," Duke Whirlwind said with a smirk. "I bet you thought yourself quite clever after snatching Old Ice Octopus' Mana Source and successfully hiding it from me."
Shang felt a mix of nervousness and a bit of guilt. After all, he had essentially stolen something from Duke Whirlwind.
"But it's fine," Duke Whirlwind said. "Honestly, if I were in your place, I would have done the same thing."
"What would you have done if I had told you?" Shang asked.
"I'm not sure, honestly," Duke Whirlwind said. "But I think I would have asked you to demonstrate, and I would have very quickly noticed that your Affinity was very strange. I think I would have taken you with me to find out more about your Affinity."
"You mean experiment on me until I died?" Shang asked emotionlessly.
Duke Whirlwind snorted. "Now, Shang, something like that would be idiotic."
"Idiotic?" Shang asked with a raised eyebrow.
"There was obviously more to your Affinity, which means that there was more to be discovered. After a while, I would have probably delivered other Mana Sources to you to see what would happen."
"And then, I would be interested in what would come of your Affinity if you were to become more powerful."
"But since you have a warrior's body, you obviously can't become a Mage. That means you would have ended up in the Warrior's Academy either way. The Dean would have noticed your particular talents as well."
"So, in the end, we would still be here," Duke Whirlwind explained.
Shang wasn't certain if he should believe Duke Whirlwind.
On one hand, everything he said appeared logical, but on the other hand, it seemed too good to be true.
"What about the Mana Source?" Shang asked.
"It's fine," Duke Whirlwind said. "You can see it as a gift."
"But…"
Shang furrowed his brows.
"I would like for you to tell me everything you know about your Affinity. Your Affinity is one of a kind, and I am dying to know what you can and can't do."
"Would you be interested in trying out a couple of experimental spells? Based on your Affinity, I can create a couple of them. They won't be anything fancy, but they will give you more information on your Affinity."
Duke Whirlwind patted his son's shoulder again.
"Of course, Mattheo will be with you when you try the spells. You two can work on the spells, and Mattheo will deliver the results to me."
"So, what do you say?" Duke Whirlwind asked.
Trying out spells?
Shang was definitely interested, but he also felt wary.
This was a High Mage.
Who knew what sort of spells he could create?
What if he made some spell that would destroy Shang's consciousness and make him into a mindless puppet?
Shang looked over at the silent Dean.
'However, my survival is very important to the Dean. If I were to die suddenly, his procedure would look like a failure in the public's eyes.'
'Duke Whirlwind is definitely interested, but I doubt that he would throw the hard work of the Dean into the trash just for his curiosity.'
'So, for the time being, I should be safe. If Duke Whirlwind were to try something, it wouldn't be in the next couple of years.'
'Also, what sort of reason would he even have to kill me? I am the source of his curiosity, and by killing me, he would essentially be killing the chicken for the eggs.'
'For now, I see no reason why the Duke would want to hurt me.'
"I'm interested," Shang said. "I am also not sure about my Affinity, and I'm also interested in learning more."
Duke Whirlwind's smile widened. "That's great to hear! I will prepare a couple of spells later for you to try out. Of course, if you are still uneasy about the effects of the spells, you can ask any Mage about them. Just knowing about the spells wouldn't unveil anything."
"However, I would ask you to be a bit more careful with the Spells involving the Light and Darkness Affinity. Some Mages might be suspicious about how you got your hands on these Spells."
Shang nodded. "Thank you, Duke Whirlwind."
"Seems like we will be working together to a certain degree from now on, Shang," Mattheo said.
"I'm looking forward to it," Shang said.
"Now then," Duke Whirlwind said after walking to one of the walls. "I believe it's time for the main event."
"You can start. Mattheo and I will be watching from here."
While Duke Whirlwind and Mattheo waited at one wall, Vice-Dean Soran waited near the door.
Vice-Dean Ranos was watching everything silently from the corner of the room.
Even though Duke Whirlwind and Mattheo spoke in a lighthearted and relaxed tone, the entire atmosphere of the room felt oppressive to Shang.
Two Vice-Deans were watching Shang with solemn eyes, and one of them was even blocking the door.
Together with the bloodstained table and the unconscious thing in the corner, the entire room felt dark and oppressive.
He had accepted to undergo the procedure willingly, but for some reason, he felt like he wasn't here of his own free will.
Of the five other people in the room, only Mattheo was slightly on Shang's level.
The next weakest person was already at the Peak Commander Stage.
Two of them were even in the Fourth Realm.
This was not just some random gathering in a dark room.
These were the most powerful people in the surrounding Zones.
The Dean walked toward Shang and looked at him with a neutral expression. "Are you mentally prepared?" he asked.
Shang took a deep breath.
He definitely was nervous.
He could deal with pain, but the image of his bone marrow being siphoned out and his back-breaking still made his stomach churn.
'Think of the power!' Shang told himself in his mind.
'Think of how powerful you can become!'
'This procedure will be the key to reaching the power of Mages!'
'So what if it's painful? This is a one-time thing! Today, I will undergo unimaginable pain, but tomorrow, I will be happy for the pain I have felt today.'
"Yes, I'm ready," Shang said with conviction.
"Good," the Dean answered. "Use up your Mana. As long as you have Mana, your body will make it difficult for me with its constant healing."
Shang nodded.
Shang pointed his left arm to an unoccupied location in the room and unleashed a Fire Blast and Ice Blast.
Mattheo watched Shang's attacks with a surprised expression.
These blasts were quite powerful.
Then, Shang used up nearly all his Mana to heal his left arm.
After that, Shang unleashed another two blasts, destroying his arm again.
"This should occupy my Mana for a while," Shang said neutrally.
From the side, Mattheo took a deep breath.
He saw Shang's left arm, and he almost couldn't imagine how it felt like to have one's arm injured to such a degree.
Yet, Shang acted like this wasn't even his arm!
The Dean nodded.
"Lay down on the table."
