The Villain Bought the Female Lead - Ch. 70
In the Orb Tower training, the smaller the difference between the initial diameter and the compressed diameter, the higher the difficulty. This was because if the density of the compressed orb was low, it became difficult to maintain a stable shape.
First day of closed training.
10-year-old Vargan had an initial orb diameter of 1 meter, compressed to 5 centimeters, and could build a tower up to 10 stories high.
Naturally, he was superior to me in mana output and precision, even with my reduced mana due to the relic.
Even though our initial and compressed diameters were the same, I could only manage up to 7 stories.
He always completed the task faster and with higher perfection than I did.
However, if I got distracted or let my concentration falter even slightly due to his pace, the tower I was building would collapse and the orbs would lose their shape.
“…….”
Even now, the same was true.
The 10-year-old Vargan, after building a 10-story orb tower, was staring at me. Although his gaze held no particular emotion, it wasn’t pleasant.
As I challenged the 8th story, my tower collapsed.
“Again.”
There was no time to be dejected.
At my command, the familiar swallowed all the mana orbs it had created. All the mana used by the Supplier was provided by me. Once consumed, the mana returned to the familiar body as energy.
Therefore, the orbs made of pure mana mostly returned to the Supplier’s body, serving as a source of energy.
I handed over the tower I had made to him.
Without a word, he accepted it and swallowed it too.
No matter how skilled he was, this was to compensate for the loss that occurred when creating mana orbs.
As time passed, my mana decreased, but the Supplier suffered no loss.
… I continued training.
The Supplier completed a stable tower faster than I did.
***
Third day of closed training.
Still, the only one in front of my eyes was the 10-year-old Vargan, stacking the tower. The Supplier didn’t tire and continued to build. No, saying it didn’t tire wasn’t accurate. Since it had no concept of stamina.
Alicia brought meals and checked on me once a day, but I hadn’t touched any food so far. Time was too precious. I hadn’t reached the level where I could eat while building the tower.
Until I surpassed the 10-year-old Vargan, I planned to devote myself without eating.
Once again, the Supplier’s tower reaches 10 stories.
I was currently on the 9th story, after completing the 8th.
Three days of continuous immersion without rest, and I could only add one more story… I was keenly aware of how valuable and brilliant talent was. Currently, I was at an ordinary level.
The primary goal was to build a 10-story tower with an initial diameter of 1 meter, compressed to 5 centimeters.
10 stories.
I must perfect the 10 stories more precisely than him to move to the next stage. Then, I could challenge him with a smaller initial diameter.
Even though it was a challenge against my own self, a strange sense of tension and fighting spirit arose. Simultaneously, laughter slipped out along with the flow. Having a clear goal in front of you was such a joyful and rightful thing to be happy about.
Knowing the result immediately was a small happiness beyond training.
Bzzzz….
I drew more mana from the mana circuit and pushed forward. The emotionless eyes of the 10-year-old Vargan were fixed on me.
Even though it was a gaze devoid of any thoughts or emotions, it subtly got on my nerves and stirred me up.
Facing a genius as an ordinary person was frustrating, but there was no time to stop.
… alright, I would admit it. This childish, boiling emotion was a competitive spirit. I would surpass that guy soon.
***
Seventh day of closed training.
Finally, after a long time, I was able to eat.
The first thing I did was gulp down water instead of bread or meat.
Forgetting the nobility’s dignity momentarily, I relished the pleasure of the life-giving water wetting my throat. Had there ever been water this delicious? It was so tasty that I wondered.
I hadn’t drunk a drop of water for a week, surviving only on refined mana, so my thirst and hunger were immense.
I was also reaching the limit of not sleeping, but after eating and reorganizing the mana in my body, I felt refreshed.
Until the end of the closed training, I didn’t think I would need to sleep as planned.
In fact, it would have been okay to drink water during training, but I didn’t because it was a pledge to further motivate myself.
It was the minimum achievement condition for daily life.
Failing even this would have made me blame myself and hindered other tasks.
Before possessing this body, I often immersed myself in something in a similar way. Compared to those times, this situation was much better.
Wriggle, wriggle.
The 10-year-old Vargan, who had been staring at me, transformed into a new form.
The completed Supplier now looked like an 11-year-old Vargan. His limbs had grown noticeably, and surprisingly, even at this young age, his body lined, like his jawline, had become sharp. Quite impressive for a child.
“Let’s start right away.”
After hastily finishing the meal in less than two minutes, I resumed training. I had already perfectly mastered the 10 stories with an initial diameter of 1 meter and a compressed diameter of 5 centimeters.
It was time to move to the next stage.
I set the initial diameter to 75 centimeters instead of 1 meter and compressed it to 5 centimeters.
With the compressed size the same, a smaller initial volume made it harder to maintain the shape of the mana orb due to lower density.
A quick glance to the side revealed that the 11-year-old Vargan effortlessly produced orbs as if from a factory, soon displaying a 10-story tower.
Then he began to stack a tower with an initial diameter of 50 centimeters, after compression.
“… alright, that’s how it’s going to be.”
Though he probably had no will of his own, I certainly felt something from him, and I shattered the mana orb I was making.
From 1 meter to 50 centimeters. The difficulty doubled suddenly.
However, it was something the past Vargan had done.
No matter the restrictions, I should be able to do it now.
I started compressing the 50-centimeter diameter mana orb.
Though I knew this feeling was childish, its innocence made it even more effective.
***
Thirteenth day of closed training.
The 11-year-old Vargan, this guy was insane.
Only one year had passed from 10 to 11 years old, but his improvement was excessive. Objectively, he was not on Alicia’s level, but he was just below that.
The competitive spirit that fueled me had burned out and now, a humiliating sense of defeat was creeping in.
His 50-centimeter initial diameter, compressed to 5 centimeters, tower reached 10 stories.
I, on the other hand, was still at 8 stories.
“Tch.”
I clicked my tongue in dissatisfaction.
Honestly, just the sudden reduction to a 50-centimeter diameter made control difficult. When I first faced the 11-year-old Vargan, I barely managed to stack 3 stories, let alone 8.
‘But there was hope.’
The 11-year-old Vargan was indeed a worthy opponent.
From 11 to 13 years old, Vargan would steadily continue his training, so his achievements would dramatically increase in a year. It was rather miraculous that I’d kept up this much.
However, succeeding in stacking 8 stories.
I finally got the hang of it.
No matter how difficult the task, doing it all day without any interruptions allowed you to grasp a technique and find a way to master it.
Though my output and total amount might be significantly lower, the precision had exponentially increased. I’d stepped into and flown through the area that geniuses unknowingly pass by.
“Hoo….”
I took a deep breath to cool down the excessively heated mana circuits and invigorate my mind.
I must push forward when I grasp the sense.
It felt like I was on the verge of discovering something new. There was no concrete evidence, but it wouldn’t be long now.
That hope drove me forward.
***
On the twentieth and final day of seclusion training.
Alicia walked towards Vargan’s room for a long-awaited check-up.
Vargan’s seclusion training would soon end. The thought made Alicia excited.
When she arrived at the door, she grabbed the doorknob and turned it naturally, without knocking, as he had instructed.
She opened the door very carefully, ensuring it didn’t make any noise that might disturb him. The room was filled with darkness as it had been recently….
“Huh?”
Alicia let out a sound at the unexpected sight.
She looked around. The room was brightly lit. Everything was neatly organized, looking spotless without a speck of dust.
She walked towards the room where she presumed her Master was seated. With each step, a strange excitement resonated through her body.
And then.
“You’ve come, Alicia.”
Despite his upright and proper posture, his unique rebelliousness still shone through. He was in the midst of removing a relic he had placed on himself.
As he removed the bracelet from his wrist, it made a peculiar sound, activating a spell. It was a spell of release, and it didn’t last long.
Zuuung?!
The lock was undone.
“…!!”
It felt like a massive volume of water had burst through a dam, flooding in all at once. The sudden re-establishment and expansion of mana output caused vibrations of mana, resulting in a gust of wind.
Everything in Vargan’s room was knocked over or shaken by the impact, and the piled parchment on the desk flew around the room like a flock of pigeons.
Alicia’s white hair was also tossed by the wind. She looked at Vargan’s changed form with her blue eyes.
There was no external change. He looked the same as he always did.
But it was so apparent that even a glance could tell there had been a significant internal change, expressing itself outwardly.
The density and output of Vargan’s mana, as well as his total mana capacity, had grown dramatically.
It was like when she first witnessed Vargan annihilate a group of priest-level Altifes. The sense of awe she felt then at seeing an inhuman presence gave her chills.
Alicia experienced that same feeling once more.
“Oh… not bad at all.”
Vargan clenched and unclenched his fists a few times, concentrating his mana and then dispersing it.
He quickly examined the changes in his body, checking for any side effects and assessing how much he had grown.
Then he saw it.
He couldn’t help but cheer in a way anyone could recognize.
“Yes, that’s it. That’s it…!”
“Master…?”
To Vargan’s eyes, neither Alicia nor the objects around him were visible. His eyes were looking inward.
All the streams of mana met and had grown into a wide river.
Vargan stood on it.
What he saw was the intense sunlight bestowing its light upon the world and the river’s surface shimmering in response. As he followed the end of his view, he saw it.
Finally, he saw it.
He barely managed to see it.
The boundary between the sea and the river.
A world so vast it left him in awe.
He knew he was close to the starting point of this vast new world.
That world was undoubtedly the realm of transcendence.
His total mana capacity could reach the level of transcendence. This was no longer a guess but a certainty. If he continued to follow this path, he would reach it soon!
The level of mana that the original Vargan could never achieve.
While he had yet to surpass his prime in curses and familiars, he had far exceeded it in terms of mana.
Once his total mana reached the transcendence level, raising other areas would be much easier.
Also, he was now ready to begin his unique magic.
‘No… that’s not right. I need to change my plan. Now that I’m on the verge of transcendence, I can see it. It’s more beneficial to raise my total mana to transcendence before researching unique magic. It might seem like it will take more time, but in the end, it will be the fastest way.’
In fact, he could have started on unique magic when his curse magic reached proficiency.
However, it would be easier and more effective to begin with a more extensive mana capacity, so he postponed it, and the period was extended a bit longer.
He didn’t feel regretful about this.
He wasn’t foolish enough to ignore the chance to become stronger more certainly.
Wine tasted better the longer it aged.
His unique magic would be the same.
A long smile formed on Vargan’s lips.
The realization of a clear destination and a sense of omnipotence that soaked his body like a gentle rain emerged.
Other than the Academia’s headmaster, no one had reached the level of transcendence in mana.
Even now, it was impressive, but if he reached the level of the sea, how much more could he do? How far could he go?
He wanted to see.
He wanted to experience it.
He wanted to explore.
The synergy between Vargan’s hidden research interest in magic and his original nature created a tremendous effect.
He was thirsty for the realm he had yet to set foot in!
“Master.”
A clear voice.
That gentle sound brought him back to his senses.
Alicia was smiling at him with a pure, unblemished smile.
She seemed to be congratulating him.
“You’ve really… really worked hard.”
“……”
Vargan thought.
Worked hard… worked hard.
Did I work hard?
In other words, did I overdo it? Me?
It was laughable.
It wasn’t overdoing; it was simply following the thorough steps of the predetermined plan. To call this hard work….
… however.
He didn’t feel like reprimanding her now. For now, he wanted to savor the accomplishment honestly.
“… yes. Thank you.”
He responded to her with refined emotions.
On Vargan’s desk stood a single ten-story orb tower. The orbs had a diameter of 5 cm. They were pure mana without compression.
At the same time, the fourteen-year-old Vargan who had been coldly observing vanished without a trace.