Chapter 33: Lucien’s Decision - Chimera?

Chapter 33: Lucien’s Decision - Chimera?Irelia could now feel that her energy and strength had increased significantly. She could also confirm that she had reached level 1 - late stage. She could even feel a bit of Wind elemental power flowing within her body. That meant she had not only leveled up but also acquired another type of talent. "How... how did this happen?" Irelia muttered, looking at Lucien as if searching for an answer. Lucien was prepared for this, so he answered confidently, "This Awakening Stone carries the Wind element, which is why the Hurriclaw monster guarded it so carefully." "I’m not a greedy person. This thing was obtained with your blood and tears, so I don’t want to monopolize it." "I only used half of it; the other half, I let you absorb. That’s also why your injuries have completely healed." "Besides, the energy inside the Awakening Stone also helped you level up and gain a new talent." Hearing this, Irelia looked at Lucien with eyes full of disbelief, mixed with many other emotions. However, all these feelings couldn’t be expressed with words, only through actions. Irelia hugged Lucien tightly again and said softly, "Thank you, Lucien." Lucien took her hands and then pushed her away. His action left Irelia feeling a little disappointed, but she also knew she had been too emotional. "Don’t thank me. This is something that should have been yours. Without you, how could I have gotten this?" Lucien said with a smile, his smile incredibly natural and warm. Irelia nodded lightly, her gaze shifting to the arm tightly wrapped in ragged cloth. "Your arm..." "Don’t worry," Lucien said quickly. "It’s fine. I just put some medicinal leaves on it; it will heal after a while." Irelia looked at him with concern, wanting to say something, but ultimately remained silent. Lucien pushed the Awakening Stone towards Irelia, smiling innocently as he said, "There’s still a little energy left inside. You should use it to consolidate your level." Irelia bit her lip, her eyes fixed on the stone Lucien was pushing towards her. She knew how valuable that stone was. Even if there was only a little energy left, it was enough to make many people shed blood to fight for it. Lucien seemed to know that Irelia would refuse, so he immediately added, "I’ve already leveled up to level 1 – early stage, so I don’t need any more right now. On the contrary, you’ve reached level 1 - late stage; you need it much more than I do." Irelia looked straight into Lucien’s eyes, moved, then nodded lightly and took the stone in her hand. "After you finish absorbing it, we’ll go back to the Academy. I want to ask you something..." Lucien suddenly asked. "Now that I’ve become an Awakened, does that mean... I can be promoted to an official student of the academy?" "Ah!" Irelia immediately explained. "Of course, you can. However, you’ll have to go through a small trial. After they test your aptitude and you pass that trial, you’ll become an official student." "Don’t worry, the trial isn’t too difficult. When I had only reached Level 1 - Early Stage, I was also able to pass it easily." "After becoming an official student, you’ll receive some support resources each month." "Besides that, you can also take on some missions from other teachers or nobles to earn money." Hearing Irelia, Lucien nodded lightly. "Uhm! I understand. I won’t bother you anymore." With that, he left the cave, leaving Irelia to her peace and quiet. She gazed at Lucien’s retreating back, her face flushing as she clutched the Awakening Stone. But then, she quickly shook her head, her expression becoming resolute. "Lucien..." Irelia muttered. "I will definitely become stronger so I can stand by your side." "My destiny... I will seize it." ... Outside, Lucien found a spot far from the cave, then frowned and said, "Master, isn’t it too risky for me to become a student?" "What if they ask me why I have a talent?" Just then, a feminine voice, tinged with an odd quality, emanated from the pendant he was wearing. "With me here, what are you afraid of?" "Besides, late awakenings are not rare in this world. You just need to say that you’re a late bloomer." "The people at the academy certainly won’t care about someone with a Rank E talent like you." Hearing this, Lucien bit his lip, sighed, and said, "Master, why must we risk going to the academy? I think it’s fine out here." "It’s a big world; we can go anywhere we want. I’ll wait until I defeat that bastard Lathel, kill him, and then I’ll run away with Selvia." "You fool!" Lilith snapped, her voice filled with anger and irritation. "This world isn’t as simple as you see it. Don’t let a woman cloud your future." "After you become a powerhouse, a lord of this world, what kind of woman couldn’t you have?" "But..." Lucien gritted his teeth, stammering, "I... I only love her. She was the only one by my side when I was just a useless, poor kid. I..." "Alright!" Lilith took a deep breath and then sighed, as if trying to calm herself. Lucien knew she was angry, so he said no more, bowing his head and standing still. "If that’s the case, then you have even more reason to go to the academy." Hearing Lilith, Lucien frowned and asked, "Why is that, Master?" Lilith began to explain, "To get her back, you need to become much stronger. Lathel is a Prince, and you... you have nothing." "If you confront the Prince, it means you’ll have to confront a giant monster called the Royal Family." "Therefore, you must become even stronger, strong enough to defeat the entire Royal Army and the King of that kingdom." Lucien scratched his head, asking in confusion, "What does that have to do with me going to the Academy?" "Foolish!" Lilith sighed. "The Academy is the safest place for you." "Even if you kill that brat Lathel, as long as you are at the Academy, the Royal Family won’t dare to risk harming you." "Besides, the Academy has a lot of resources. As long as you show that your talent is good enough, the professors at the academy will surely provide you with resources unconditionally to help you develop." "Ah!" Lucien, as if enlightened after hearing Lilith’s words, his eyes filled with excitement, said, "I understand, Master." "Uhm! In the beginning, you don’t need to show off too much." Lilith said, "And another thing, don’t let anyone know about your arm, understand?" "Yes, I will definitely not let anyone know the secret of this arm." Lucien said with a smile, raising his left arm, which was wrapped tightly in ragged cloth, and clenched his fist. Lilith continued, "During this time, you must familiarize yourself with your new talent and how to use energy. As for this, it’s a gift for you..." Just then, a ray of light shot out from the pendant, forming a sphere of light that hovered in front of Lucien. The sphere of light then split in two, turning into two scrolls that floated in mid-air. One scroll radiated a brilliant golden halo, while the other gave off a faint gray light. Lilith then continued, "These are two types of ’Assimilation Methods’. Ah! You probably don’t know about this." "An Assimilation Method is very important for the Awakened. It’s thanks to it that the Awakened can absorb and use energy." "The rarer the Assimilation Method, the more and purer the energy you can absorb." "Before you now are two types of ’Assimilation Methods’. The golden one is a Rank A Assimilation Method. If it were to appear, I’m afraid all the Awakened on this continent would go crazy fighting for it." "As for the gray one, it’s a Rank E Assimilation Method." Lucien stroked his chin, frowning at the two scrolls, then asked, "Master, since you’re letting me choose, this Rank E scroll must have something special about it, right?" "Hahahaha..." Lilith laughed. "Very smart." "That’s right. The gray Assimilation Method may be Rank E, but it’s a special type. It... can be leveled up." "What?!" Lucien was a bit surprised and immediately asked, "Methods can be leveled up?" "Other methods can’t, but this one can." Lilith said contemptuously, "Of course, it requires harsh conditions to level up. But the conditions it needs for leveling up will also help you a great deal." The gray scroll floating in front of Lucien suddenly unrolled on its own, revealing countless strange, glowing magical characters. "This Assimilation Method is called ’Chimera’. After using it, your body will change to adapt to it," Lilith explained. "Besides helping you absorb and circulate energy, it can also help you absorb other abilities through Relics similar to the Awakening Stone." "The more abilities you have, the higher the level of ’Chimera’ will become." "Not just Rank A; in the future, if you absorb enough talents, its rank could reach S or even higher." "However..." Lilith’s voice suddenly became serious and filled with danger. "Every time you absorb a different talent, you will have to control the balance of two coexisting talents within your body." "At that time, you will endure such excruciating pain that you’ll wish for death." "Alright! The choice is yours." The gray scroll closed and flew back to its original position. "Which will you choose? The Rank A Assimilation Method or Chimera?" Lucien looked at the two scrolls, his right hand touching his left arm—the one that had been torn off by the Hurriclaw, now tightly wrapped in ragged bandages. He gritted his teeth and said, "The path of a powerful expert is never smooth. Without taking risks, how can I become a top-tier expert, how can I win back Selvia?" At this moment, Lucien was incredibly firm in his decision. He immediately reached out, grabbed the gray scroll, and said with a confident smile, "Master, I choose Chimera."