LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 11
“The hairdo is finally done!”
Lacrina washed her hands in the kitchen and then brought over a mirror to show Enoch.
“So, what do you think?”
“Hmm…”
“It’s pretty, right? Looks cool?”
Enoch looked into the mirror, running his hand through his hair.
The style had a part on one side with the ends slightly lifted, and honestly, it wasn’t half bad.
What’s more, it was commendable that a student took the time to impress their teacher.
Enoch appreciated Lacrina’s effort more than the final result.
“Nice job. I like it. Those little touches really helped to liven it up!”
“Hehe… You noticed. This is just basic stuff!”
Lacrina grinned, resting her chin on her hand.
She definitely looked like someone eager to show off her skills.
As Enoch entertained those thoughts, he stood up.
“Now that the styling is done, let’s get going.”
“Huh? Where are we going?”
“Outside the city walls. Today, I’ve got a bunch of things I want to test out.”
Today was going to be busy in so many ways.
He had to test Lacrina’s abilities and check some skills from earlier.
Enoch arranged his thoughts as he quickly put on the coat he left on the chair.
Lacrina had already changed into casual clothes.
With nothing else to prepare, she was ready to head out immediately.
Enoch downed the drink that the Master had left for them.
Lacrina quickly followed suit, sipping on her portion of the drink.
-Thud!
“Let’s go.”
“Yep!”
Leaving their empty cups behind, the two headed outside.
Magnus is quite the massive city.
Population around 1.6 million.
If you had to compare, think of Philadelphia.
The point is, this world isn’t too shabby when it comes to accommodating its population.
There are various reasons for this, but Enoch felt that the walls surrounding the city played the biggest role.
‘It’s a world where you never know when a monster might pop up. Waves are just groups of monsters running wild. The species itself is already widespread.’
In an age where long journeys equate to near certain death.
That’s why humans built walls.
Magical barriers—the greatest legacy of mankind created to defend their civilization.
The massive walls made of steel and magic signify humanity’s will and the boundaries of civilization.
Once you cross those boundaries, civilization’s traces vanish immediately.
It represents the savage lands where humans cannot tread.
But Enoch had stepped beyond the city’s limits.
He passed through the tollgate and a long tunnel, moving onward for some time.
After a while, the darkness faded and when he opened his eyes, a vast field was before him.
“S- Sir…? Is this really okay?”
Lacrina shivered in fear as she looked at the forest and meadows.
She seemed as if she’d seen something she shouldn’t have.
This was the most common reaction from humanity in this world.
Except for a few areas, they were raised with ignorance and fear about the world beyond the walls.
Where monsters appear is instantly a no-go zone for humans.
This thought was ingrained deep in their bones.
‘It’s no wonder all materials are moved by airships or flying crafts. Technicians and mages get their due respect for a reason. Without them, it would be like everyone’s blood stops flowing, including the Empire.’
People in this world conquered the skies first before they even touched the land or sea.
This is because monsters have relatively less influence in the air.
-Screech!
Moments later, the vehicle came to a stop.
Enoch got out first, followed closely by Lacrina.
“…Sir? So why are we really here?”
“Why, for you, of course.”
Enoch opened up a case and lit up a cigarette.
There were only three left.
Looks like it was time to roll up a few more.
‘I’m tired of Entus leaves. I should get something different this time.’
“…For me? What’s out here?”
Lacrina asked back, looking at her smoking teacher.
She had that tone like she was a bit peeved.
Seemed like being dragged out to this random spot had her feeling mentally cornered.
Enoch didn’t bother explaining himself.
Instead, he rummaged through his pockets.
-Click!
-Swish!
What he pulled out was a pen and a ring.
Enoch tossed the pen to Lacrina.
He tossed the ring into the bushes.
“…? What’s this?”
“Be careful. You’ll cut yourself.”
“Eek!”
In an instant, the pen transformed.
Its original shape vanished as a long sword appeared instead.
“A- A sword?”
“More precisely, a broad sword. Now, get into stance.”
Meanwhile, the ring changed shape and stood upright.
This cheap 320,000 Krone ring had now turned into the form of a knight.
-Swish!
“This should be enough for practice. Let’s get started.”
“W- What are we doing?”
“What do you think? We’re going to awaken your latent talents.”
The knight raised its sword and stepped forward.
-Thud!
“Ah… Seriously!”
Lacrina adjusted her grip on the sword.
The girl and the knight clashed simultaneously.
The fight went on for a while.
The knight had the upper hand.
-Clang! Clang! Clash!
The knight’s aiming sword spun gracefully through the air.
Lacrina calmly deflected the incoming blade, keeping her distance.
‘Lacrina showed her genius ever since she entered the academy. In her first test, she already knocked out seven classmates. She was already familiar with fighting way before her enrollment.’
Lacrina hailed from the impoverished orphanage.
Life as an orphan was rarely smooth sailing.
She had to overcome countless threats before entering the orphanage.
Hunger, cold.
Lacrina survived through that hell.
And here she stood before Enoch.
She wouldn’t be outdone by some summoned knight.
Enoch’s judgment was spot on.
As she waited for the right moment, Lacrina targeted the knight’s head with her blade.
-Clang!
The knight staggered back, trying to regain composure without any personality.
It was almost like watching a human in motion despite having no consciousness.
“Hah… Hah… Is it over?!”
Lacrina panted as she turned to Enoch for an answer.
Enoch nodded.
“Yeah. Let’s move on to the next thing.”
“Huh?”
Enoch said nothing in reply.
Instead, from his pocket, he pulled out a handgun and tossed it toward the knight.
“…Huh?”
“Now fight against both the sword and the gun. And learn from the experience. Someday, you’ll need to fight like that.”
“…What are you really saying?!”
Lacrina shrieked.
Regardless of her protests, the knight loaded the handgun and drew its sword again.
Gun in its left hand, sword in its right.
Lacrina’s face gradually morphed into a frown.
-Click!
“Damn it!”
-Bang!
A bullet whizzed past her face.
Lacrina ducked to the ground in a hurry.
The plan was to get closer and keep the distance closed.
The knight aimed the gun again.
Enoch watched the spectacle unfold with keen interest.
‘Time to get into the action myself.’
Enoch closed his eyes and activated a skill.
A skill he’d recently acquired.
[Golden Chain Homunculus]
He intended to test it out a bit right here and now.
‘First off, let’s go with Chain Harmony (連鎖調和).’
-Click!
Using the skill was simple.
As soon as Enoch decided to use it, it was done.
[Chain Harmony]
[It creates a mental link with the target.]
As he activated the skill, a grinding gear sound echoed in his ears.
His left hand radiated blue light.
-Whoosh!
-Sizzle!
‘…Flame? Lightning? No, it feels more like a magical energy release.’
Enoch brushed his clothing with the sparkly blue lightning from his hand.
The blue flashes crackled and seeped into his garment.
[Notice: The garment is now bound to you.]
[Harmony starts to spread chain-wise.]
The notifications on his status panel started clanging loudly in his mind.
The effect of Chain Harmony was straightforward.
It entwined Enoch himself with specific targets.
It was like witnessing a synergy effect in a game.
Thus, what became intertwined felt to Enoch like a part of his own body.
The coat he was wearing felt as natural as his own skin.
‘Shall I test it out?’
Enoch ran his left hand across his face.
Chain Harmony (連鎖調和).
The flickering blue lightning imprinted in his retina.
Moments later, when Enoch opened his eyes again, blue flames flickered within his irises.
‘I can see it. All that’s within my sight is being invaded by these blue flames in a chain reaction.’
Invisible light seeped into the surroundings like a river flowing.
Eventually, new information drilled its way into Enoch’s mind.
Body, abilities, and qualities.
Even thoughts and actions.
‘The knight steps forward with its left foot. It swings down.’
-Thud!
-Crash!
‘Lacrina rolls to the side to evade the attack. The weight transfers to her right leg. She rushes forward, dodging bullets, and charges ahead with unsheathed sword.’
-Bang!
-Clang!
The battle unfolded just as Enoch had predicted.
Without realizing it, Enoch accurately gauged the flow of the fight.
He read the patterns of action from the knight he summoned.
Conversely, he confirmed Lacrina’s changes in body language.
The ring knight was merely a tool without will.
Thus, Enoch could easily deduce everything about it.
On the other hand, Lacrina was a living being with free will.
So, he couldn’t understand her thoughts.
However, he could foresee where her body would move.
With that, he promptly read her next actions.
-Bang! Bang!
-Clang!
Lacrina raised her sword high.
Her left arm collided, staggering the knight.
Lacrina spun the sword around, gripping it backwards.
The sword aligned straight with the helmet.
Both Enoch and Lacrina thought at the same time.
‘Now.’
“Now-!!”
-Crack!
Lacrina struck down with her sword.
The broad sword pierced through the helmet and into the ground.
-Creeeak…
The knight thrashed around before finally falling still.
Silence descended upon the surroundings.
Only then did Lacrina straighten her back and let out a sigh of relief.
“Phew… It’s over.”
‘Yeah. It’s finally over.’
Enoch was thinking the same thing nearby.
But the significance differed between the two.
-Ding!
[Notice: Lacrina awakens a new quality!]
[New!!!: Master of Weapons]
[You will now naturally acquire a prodigious talent with all weapons!]
Enoch swiped away the emerging status window.
Now, Lacrina had gained a total of two talents.
Each being ice manipulation and weapon mastery.
Neither could shy away from being called S-rank talents.
‘Now, all that’s left is time and experience. The academy will take care of that, not me.’
Enoch cleared the status window and approached Lacrina.
Lacrina was catching her breath as she stared blankly up at Enoch.
“Sir… I can’t feel my body anymore…”
“Good job. Take a short break. Just move aside for a bit.”
Enoch gestured for her to step aside.
Lacrina got up from atop the knight.
‘Hmm. This one’s definitely no good.’
The ring knight was already in a half-destroyed state.
It was a 320,000 Krone item after all.
So, it wasn’t that valuable to worry about.
“Sir…?”
“What is it?”
“Can we go home now…?”
Lacrina said while hugging her knees.
Her face seemed to be saying, “Hasn’t this been enough yet?”.
Sadly, Enoch shook his head.
“Not yet. We just finished the first part.”
“First part…?”
“Yep. Lesson one was all about testing your abilities.”
‘While I was at it, I awakened any hidden talents.’
Enoch didn’t speak the last part aloud and rummaged back into his pocket.
He pulled out two watches by now.
“Sir…? Why are you taking those out??”
“Well, it’s for the next training.”
Enoch threw the watches immediately.
Two gigantic mechanical serpents rose up in an instant.
-Roooaaar!!
-Kraaar!!
“Wha—?!”
Lacrina shouted in shock as she looked up at the serpents.
It was a bizarre sight.
Regardless, Enoch activated his next skill.
This time, it was the homunculus’s right hand.
Specifically, Golden Fusion (黃金融合).
‘Chain Harmony revealed more to me than I thought. My information, others’ information, the information about objects, and even their potential. I too am not an exception.’
Enoch had caught on to the skill’s effect already.
During that moment of touching his eyes with Chain Harmony, he had been deeply contemplative about his inner self.
‘Golden Fusion.’
-Swoosh!
[Effect: It can fuse the essence of the target. The worth of the target can be perceived.]
Enoch activated the skill.
His right hand glowed with a golden sheen.
It was reminiscent of the golden arm of King Midas from Greek mythology.
Enoch used his gleaming hand to touch his eyes once more.
Moments later, when his eyes opened again, everything around him had been assigned a value.
[Notice: Golden Fusion has been activated.]
[Broken Ring Knight: 70,000 Krone]
[Codename Cyber Dragon: 320,000 Krone]
‘So, the worth of summoning materials depends on the base materials used. The knight’s price dropped because it was broken.’
Enoch examined the information and moved his right hand.
In doing so, he grasped something unknown.
Enoch quickly recognized the entity’s nature right in front of him.
It was precisely the mechanical serpent that lay before him. Or rather, its essence.
That was its true nature.
‘In this world, magic is restrained by words. Ice mages control ice, while command mages use their voices. And… Golden Fusion touches the very essence of targets.’
As a certain sage once said, the worth of a subject is determined by its essence.
And Enoch had witnessed it for himself.
‘It compiles different essences into a single whole. Just like the alchemists of yore who eventually sought to create gold.’
Enoch tightly grasped the two essences that had emerged above his palm.
In his hands, the two entities were forcefully pressed and tangled together.
-Roooaaar!!
-Kraaar!!
“W- What’s happening?!”
Lacrina exclaimed in shock as she stared at the serpents.
She couldn’t believe her eyes.
The once imposing mechanical serpents that seemed overwhelming were now globs of clay merging together.
It looked as if steel had lost its essence and crumbled into liquid.
A moment later, from that chaotic mesh, two heads rose up.
-Roooaaar!!
“W-Wait?! It… it has two heads now—”
“I like it.”
As Lacrina stood flabbergasted, Enoch stepped forward with confidence. He looked up at the newly formed serpent with joy.
“From now on, I shall call you Twin Dragon. …Lacrina?”
“…Y- Yes?!”
“Get ready. We’re moving on to the next lesson.”