The Smiling Death

Chapter 443: New Rank

Back inside the hall, Amon and Selena waited.

Soon Seraphina returned.

A small smile appeared on her usually emotionless face as she walked toward Amon and handed him the crystal tube.

Amon carefully took it.

The mana inside felt dense even through the glass.

He looked at her in shock.

"How am I supposed to repay something like this?" he asked seriously. "Should I give you money?"

Amon actually possessed more than five thousand gold coins currently.

But even then, this kind of potion would easily cost over half of his savings.

Maybe even more.

Such things were incredibly expensive.

Seraphina shook her head lightly.

"I don’t need it."

Amon became even more confused.

Why were these noble girls so generous toward him?

Unable to understand, he asked honestly, "But... why are you giving it to me for free?"

Seraphina looked at him quietly for a moment.

Then, with her usual emotionless face, she tilted her head slightly and answered simply,

"Because we are friends."

Amon blinked.

Then a wide smile slowly appeared on his face.

"...Thanks, Sera. Guess I am too charming."

She nodded softly with smile.

From the side, Selena shake her head ay his delusional comment and spoke casually.

"Now stop wasting time and go sit in the middle."

Amon nodded quickly.

He walked toward the open center area of the training hall before sitting down cross-legged.

Seraphina and Selena stood a short distance away while watching him.

Amon took a deep breath.

Then he opened the wooden cork. Immediately, a rich mana aura spread from the crystal tube.

"This will help me...yes!" His eyes sparkled in excitement.

Without hesitation, he drank everything in one go.

The liquid was cold at first. It goes down his throat.

Then heat exploded inside his body.

Amon’s eyes widened slightly.

The potion’s mana spread rapidly through his entire body like a rushing river.

He quickly placed the empty tube aside before closing his eyes and resting both hands on his knees.

The mana inside him started circulating faster and faster.

Far faster than normal. Sweat slowly dripped down his forehead. His heartbeat accelerated.

Thump!

Thump!

Thump!

Amon gritted his teeth.

His body temperature continued rising as the mana surged violently through his mana pathways.

But unlike before...

This time he could control it.

He also remembered the time and feeling when Vetaal had controlled his body.

At that time his mana and blood was circulating even faster than this.

So this was not that much unknown feeling.

Aslo thanks to Alistair’s guidance. He focused carefully on regulating the flow instead of panicking.

The mana circulated again and again throughout his body.

His muscles tightened. His bones felt heavier. Every cell in his body felt as if it was evolving. Selena narrowed her eyes slightly while observing him.

"He’s controlling it well."

Seraphina nodded quietly.

"Yes. He would achieve it without any problem."

Time continued passing.

Five minutes, then seven minutes. After that ten minutes.

Suddenly a sound came.

BOOM!!

A powerful shockwave burst out from Amon’s body. Wind exploded outward across the training hall.

His clothes fluttered violently as dense mana erupted around him. The entire hall trembled slightly.

Selena’s silver hair swayed from the pressure. Seraphina’s golden eyes widened slightly as she stared at him.

The mana surrounding Amon had completely changed.

It became denser, sharper and stronger.

Slowly, Amon opened his black eyes. A faint blue glow flickered within them for a brief moment before fading away.

He looked down at his hands silently.

Then a grin slowly spread across his face. He had finally broken through.

Master Rank.

He opened his palm, then slowly closed it.

"I feel much stronger now.... Hahaha! I did it!!"

Amon leaped to his feet. His face was bright with excitement, and not a single trace of exhaustion from his long training remained. His eyes were wide, his grin wider.

"Congratulations, Amon."

"Congratulations."

Seraphina and Selena both smiled and congratulated him. Before either of them could say another word, Amon closed the distance between them in a few quick strides and pulled them both into a tight hug.

Since they were standing side by side, he simply wrapped one arm around each of them, drawing them close. His head came to rest naturally between theirs.

"Haha! Thank you! I really, truly did it!!"

Seraphina’s cheeks turned a soft shade of pink. Selena was caught off guard, her eyes widening for just a moment, but she didn’t feel uncomfortable enough to pull away. She simply let it be.

After a moment, Amon stepped back and the excitement on his face gave way to something else entirely. A red flush crept up from his neck to his cheeks. He reached up and rubbed the back of his neck with an awkward laugh.

"Sorry about that. I got too excited and hugged you both without thinking."

"I’ll let it go this time," Selena said flatly, crossing her arms. But there was a flicker of mischief dancing in her red eyes that betrayed her calm expression.

"But if you ever pull something like that again without warning, I’m going straight to Scarlett."

"I don’t mind at all, so don’t worry about it." Seraphina smiled warmly, her voice as gentle as always.

Amon spun toward Selena with a groan. "Senior, you keep using that threat! Can you please stop it already?" Then he turned to Seraphina, placing a hand over his chest dramatically.

"And Sera, just as I expected. You truly are the kindest person I know."

"Tch." Selena clicked her tongue and narrowed her eyes at him. "There he goes again. Flirting in broad daylight."

"I was not flirting!!" Amon threw his hands up in protest, his flush deepening.

He looked between the two of them with an expression of pure disbelief. How did things always end up like this? He was simply being sincere, and somehow these two always managed to twist it into something else entirely. He was completely innocent and yet here he stood, looking guilty.

He let out a long sigh of defeat.

"Anyway," Selena said, her tone shifting as a genuine smile tugged at the corner of her lips, "let’s head back, get cleaned up, and go into the city to celebrate your breakthrough properly."

Amon’s expression brightened instantly. "Yes! Absolutely! And tonight is on me, I’ll buy you both whatever you want. No limits."

"I’m in." This time Selena agreed without a moment’s hesitation.

"Me too." Seraphina nodded, her smile soft and warm.