[You sacrificed the Third Circle of both your magics, causing them to return to the Second Circle with 0% progress in exchange for more power.]
[Your circles have received a 30% increase in power, but, in return, your evolution will be slower.]
[Thanks to your body's mana absorption, your total mana capacity has increased. However, you will experience pain for three weeks whenever you use magic.]
[Your determination was so great that your soul has received an increase.]
[Your body absorbed an excessive amount of mana. You will experience pain for one month, but when this period ends, you will receive a 10% increase in all attributes.]
[A Constellation wishes to grant you a reward.]
[Updates completed.]
Name: Enrico Solcren Ferreira Fire Magic: Circle 2 — 0% Water Magic: Circle 2 — 0% Mana Quantity: 289 Unique Ability: Elemental Clone Soul: 80
When he opened his eyes, Enrico found himself lying on the ground in a completely destroyed forest. Trees had been uprooted, the ground was covered in debris, and the surrounding scenery looked as though it had been struck by a catastrophe. However, what caught his attention the most were the numerous system screens floating in front of him.
He blinked several times, trying to understand what was happening. It was the first time he had received so many consecutive notifications, something that still didn't even compare to what he had seen in the stories he used to read in his previous life. Even so, it was surprising.
'I received all this?'
Enrico carefully examined the rewards. Naturally, there were several disadvantages, especially the pain he would experience when using magic and the recovery period his body would need. Even so, he couldn't help considering this one of the best rewards he had ever received, mainly because it wasn't related to any specific arc of the story.
'Shouldn't I only receive things like this during the arcs?'
The system responded as if it had been waiting for that question.
[This was an improvement to your body caused by the sacrifice of your circles. Aside from the part involving the Constellation that wishes to give you a reward, everything happened because of that attack. But I don't think you'll use that technique again anytime soon. After all, it will hinder your development, won't it?]
'... You're right. I only used it because we were definitely all going to die in the explosion.'
Enrico couldn't deny it. The technique had several problems that made using it extremely risky at that moment. Besides, he hadn't even known he could receive so many improvements after using it. In the original story, Kai had resorted to that attack to eliminate an evil god, but he hadn't lived very long afterward to discover the consequences of using it.
'How absurd... The protagonist died without even reaching the final villain.'
Enrico sighed mentally before turning his attention back to the first reward.
'As for the improvement to my circles, does that mean my potential has become low again?'
[Not exactly. Your potential remains the same. The difference is that, from now on, your circles are superior to those of others. Even if they're at 0%, in practice, they already possess power equivalent to 30% progress. And they'll continue growing from that point. Naturally, since the structure of your circles has been improved, increasing the percentage will take longer.]
'I understand. So, in terms of power, my circles seem to have returned to the beginning, but what has actually decreased is only the speed of my evolution compared to before.'
The explanation made sense. If his circles already possessed a 30% increase in power, that meant that upon reaching 99% progress again, they would have potential equivalent to 129%. It was an extraordinary advantage, capable of allowing him to reach a level of power comparable to someone in the Third Circle without needing to formally evolve into that circle.
Of course, he would still need to discover how that improvement worked in practice, but the prospect alone was enough to make him a little more satisfied.
'Even so, I still lost an entire circle...'
[Yes, it's very sad.]
As for the other rewards, especially the pain he would experience over the next few weeks, Enrico wasn't particularly concerned. It wasn't pleasant, but considering what he had already endured, it didn't seem so terrible. After all, he was already living with fire cancer and had made a pact that required the sacrifice of a hundred vampires. Compared to those experiences, a few weeks of pain seemed like an acceptable price.
'It's a good thing I worked so hard during training to keep my water magic at the same level as my fire magic. Thanks to that, both improved at the same time.'
If he had neglected one of the two magics, he might not have been able to benefit from that improvement so evenly. Now, however, both had received the same benefit, and that was important for the development of his abilities.
When he finished examining the notifications, Enrico looked at the surrounding scenery again. The trail of destruction was gradually beginning to disappear, as if someone were erasing the traces of everything that had happened. The destroyed trees vanished, and the city's houses began reappearing in their original places.
The sacrificial ritual had ended.
Enrico tried to raise his hand to give the middle finger to the evil god who had probably watched the battle, but he couldn't even move his fingers.
'When I meet him, I'll make sure to show him this right to his face.'
His desire to provoke that bastard remained intact, even though his body was completely exhausted.
It was then that he noticed a shadow approaching in the distance. Recognizing the presence of his clone, Enrico summoned it back. There were, at most, only a few seconds left before its existence came to an end, but that would be enough to help him stand up.
With the clone's support, he managed to get to his feet, although his legs trembled with every movement. The two began walking toward the others as the forest continued disappearing around them and the city's buildings returned to the scenery. Shortly afterward, Kaela approached, limping and making an obvious effort to remain standing.
"I'm glad you're okay, Professor."
Behind her, Lan and Arvanys followed more slowly. Arvanys had to lean on a tree branch to walk, and even that small effort seemed to demand a great deal of her strength.
Enrico looked at the three and tried to respond while still catching his breath.
"Good work, Kael, and..."
He couldn't finish the sentence.
"Enrico, I'd be very grateful. Thanks to you, I obtained my first body for a subordinate."
The voice came from an unexpected direction.
Enrico and the others immediately turned around, finding Raul crouching near Tilios's remains. He kept his palm pressed against the only finger left on the corpse, as if examining what remained of the enemy.
A skeletal hand emerged from a portal and grabbed the finger, taking it inside the passage before it disappeared.
Raul stood up calmly, as though he hadn't just appeared in the middle of a group of exhausted and injured people.
"I came here to look for potential subordinates and find someone suitable."
Arvanys tried to approach him, but the moment she put her weight on the branch, it disappeared. With nothing to hold on to, she lost her balance and fell, realizing too late that the surrounding landscape had completely changed.
They were already back in the city.
The buildings had reappeared, and the guards were beginning to move through the streets, apparently searching for those responsible for the earlier events. Enrico, however, barely paid attention to the commotion. His eyes were fixed on the man in front of him.
"Raul, you bastard..."
Raul tilted his head slightly, showing no concern about the hostility.
"Well, my name isn't Raul. After all, I was certain I had killed him before coming to a city that was going to be attacked. Therefore, none of you should know me."
As he spoke, his appearance began to change. He took out an item and opened a portal behind himself, gradually revealing a face Enrico immediately recognized.
It was the appearance of that student who, according to Kaela, should have been dead.
Cris.
He had assumed that form to provoke Enrico, which made him clench his fist slightly.
The young man stepped through the portal without showing any hesitation. The passage closed just before the guards approached, preventing anyone from following him.
Enrico heard the question but didn't answer immediately. His entire body was trembling, and he had to make a conscious effort to control his expression. The hatred he felt was so intense that, for a moment, he almost stopped caring about his injuries and lack of mana.
Meanwhile, the others noticed that Kael had disappeared. Arvanys looked around, searching for the companion who had fought alongside Enrico until the very last moment.
"Where is Kael?"
Before anyone could answer, a voice came from the direction of the guards.
"I found them, Lord Valerio!"
The guards had finally located the group. Some ran to help the injured, while mages approached to treat the more serious wounds. Kaela, Arvanys, Lan, and Enrico received assistance, and one of the guards began communicating through a transmission stone, reporting the survivors' condition.
Enrico remained with his hands over his face and his head lowered, hiding his eyes while the others worried about their injuries. From the outside, he seemed like nothing more than someone exhausted after a terrible battle. Inside, however, his anger continued to grow.
'Why did you have to show up now, Jago?'
The only reason he hadn't attacked was that he couldn't. Besides having little mana left, Jago was at a much higher level than him. Even if Enrico tried to fight in that condition, he would hardly be able to do anything before being defeated.
The difference in power made the situation even more frustrating.
Jago was using Cris's appearance to provoke Enrico and keep his true identity secret, but he had no idea that Enrico already knew his real face. That information could become an important advantage in the future, provided Enrico was careful and didn't reveal what he knew before the right time.
'If he doesn't know that I recognize his true appearance, I can use that to my advantage.'
While the mages treated his injuries, Enrico lowered his head even further, letting his hair cover his eyes. For a long time, he had searched for Jago. On several occasions, he had even thought that he might be dead, but he had never completely given up on finding him.
Now, he finally had confirmation that Jago was still alive.
Enrico formed a discreet smile, casting one last glance in the direction of the portal through which Jago had disappeared.
'This is the second time you've made me this angry. But now that I know you're plotting something, I'll make sure I'm the one who kills you with my own hands.'