"...Aten."
Aten took my hand.
A blue light shimmered from her hand, and then the light transferred to me.
It was mana.
Aten had given me most of her mana.
"It's dangerous to stay here. Use this mana to escape. You can do that, right?"
Aten released my hand and slowly walked towards Renzo.
I bowed my head.
If things continued this way, Aten was very likely to die.
Her saying she wasn’t worth much wasn’t incorrect.
The Emperor of Terst would abandon Aten.
He was the kind of person to do so, and from the perspective of the royal household, it was the correct decision.
But was Aten’s death really such a big problem for me?
Of course, clearing the game would become harder.
But the probability wouldn’t be zero.
There must be some way.
What good is saving Aten if I die in the process?
Besides, there's no way to save her.
I can’t defeat Renzo as I am now.
Even using all the means at my disposal, I couldn’t inflict a single scratch on him.
I did my best.
To the point my ribs could break.
I don’t want to die a dog’s death.
I don’t want to die.
I haven’t known Aten for even a few days.
Aten is just a character in the game.
There must be another strategy in this game.
So.
"Menosorpo."
I spoke out again.
A rune unfolded, and Aten looked at me in surprise.
"Frondier! Stop it!"
Renzo smirked.
"Right. I knew you'd do that. I knew there was something about you when we first clashed. Let's have a bit more fun."
What nonsense.
You have your fun, you freak.
I spread my thumb, index finger, and middle finger.
There's one thought that comes to mind.
But honestly, I've never tried it before.
I don’t know what will happen if I do this.
Nothing might happen, or a ridiculous situation could unfold.
Either way.
No matter what excuse I come up with.
I could think of a myriad of reasons to give up on Aten.
But I decided to save Aten.
After all, that had been my choice from the beginning.
But as I am now, I can't beat Renzo.
Not as I am now.
Weaving
Rank - Legendary
Dragon Heart
Using all the mana Aten gave me, I wove the Dragon Heart.
It looked somewhat like a rod bent into a triangle.
The shining crystal was caught between my spread fingers.
As I mentioned before, properly absorbing a Dragon Heart increases the total amount of mana.
That was the intention behind making it.
The problem is that this is a fake made through 'weaving.'
It doesn't make sense to say it increases my mana since I used my own mana to make it.
Most of all, consuming a Dragon Heart raw could leave one crippled.
'Since it's made from my mana, it shouldn't be too wild.'
But that's just a guess.
Increasing the total amount of mana by consuming a Dragon Heart made from my own mana.
Could such a thing be possible?
Despite all my uncertainties, I swallowed the Weaving Dragon Heart.
And then,
"......ugh!"
Thump!
I heard a heartbeat sound like nothing I've ever heard before.
It felt like an earthquake was happening inside my body.
'Something's happening...!'
I could feel an unbelievable amount of mana rising within me.
But just as much,
I felt something disappearing from inside me.
'Ah, I see...!'
The weaving of the Dragon Heart.
Weaving merely causes a phenomenon. It's not real material.
So, although the phenomenon of increased mana happens,
It doesn't actually bestow real mana.
To resolve this contradiction, something inside me is becoming mana instead.
─I don't know what it is.
Blood, flesh, bones, organs.
Something essential for me to continue existing as a human is being lost in an amount equal to the mana.
"Oh!"
Renzo exclaimed loudly in admiration.
That's the most vibrant face I've seen him make.
I haven't liked a single thing about him since a while ago.
"Indeed, indeed! Doping, is it! Whatever you did, that's an incredible amount of mana!"
"Renzo! The discussion is over! Take me with you!"
"Shut up, woman!"
Renzo forcefully pushed Aten away as she clung to his arm.
Aten slid back and fell over from the force.
"My interest has shifted; you're far more intriguing than I thought!"
Renzo boldly said, even as he observed the surging mana around me.
He stood facing me with an open stance.
"But kid, do you know? Mana isn't just about the total amount! No matter how much mana you have, if you lack the proper magic and skills to use it, it's no different than a water tank. You might be able to shoot plenty of arrows like earlier, but that's about it. With just that, you can't harm me! I'll gladly take it head-on."
No matter the magic, if more mana than necessary for the spell is used, the excess just dissipates.
Magic doesn't become stronger simply by infusing more mana.
It requires the use of powerful magic.
This applies to everything that uses mana or aura.
However.
"Take it head-on?"
I said.
My voice was trembling due to the quake I felt within.
Weaving, Obsidian.
Rank - Divine
Mjölnir
In my hand was Mjölnir, a hammer with a short handle and a metal head, which had absorbed most of the explosively grown mana from consuming a dragon heart.
Renzo's smug expression faded.
Yes, let's see if you recognize what this is.
I gripped Mjölnir in my right hand and pulled back.
The posture was almost identical to the throwing stance I had practiced countless times in the training room with a dagger.
"Try and catch this, madman."
With that,
I launched Mjölnir with my throwing technique, which I had advanced to the intermediate level.
For your information, intermediate-level throwing technique never misses a stationary target.
