Chapter 15 – The Weight of Ascension
The spiral staircase loomed above Chris like a divine test.
As he placed his foot on the first step toward the Third Floor of the Arcana Library, the world around him changed.
Each step forward brought with it a suffocating surge of mana density.It wasn't just magic in the air—it was pressure that dug into his bones, clawed at his muscles, and pierced his soul.
By the fourth step, his legs buckled.
Blood ran from his nose, his vision blurred, and a sharp pain pulsed in his temples like thunder pounding within his skull. He collapsed to one knee and, unable to go further, staggered back to the first floor.There, with mana swirling chaotically inside him, Chris coughed violently—until he puked a thick, dark-red bile.
The library was silent.
He clenched his fists.He wasn't ready.Not yet.
Chris did not waste time wallowing in defeat. The failure only fueled his determination.
Over the next month, he pushed himself harder than ever before.
He meditated for hours, balancing the dragon runes etched onto his soul.
He trained relentlessly, refining his aura control until it moved like liquid lightning through his body.
He cast complex 3rd Circle spells while controlling aura flows—something even war veterans struggled to accomplish.
Every day, his body adapted.
And after weeks of grueling discipline, he stood at the brink of the 4th Circle, his mana core pulsing with fierce intensity.His aura, too, had surged—he now stood at the mid-tier of the 2nd Star, on the verge of entering high-tier.
He was no longer the same Chris who had stumbled down the staircase a month ago.
Then, one night, Arcanis appeared once again. The spirit's eyes, ethereal and ancient, studied him silently.
"You've grown… faster than expected," he said, a flicker of admiration in his voice."But time is your enemy now, not your body."
Chris tilted his head. "Time?"
"You've already spent a month and a half. You only have one and a half months left before the Duke's permission expires. If you cannot reach the Third Floor and complete your quest within that time…""You may never return."
Chris nodded, gaze steady. "Then I'll climb again. And this time—I won't stop at the fourth step."
He stood once more at the base of the spiral stairs.The floor beneath his feet pulsed with arcane energy, as if recognizing his resolve.
He exhaled.
Inhale the storm.Hold the thunder.Exhale the fire.
His mana and aura flowed in perfect tandem, his breathing technique refined to the edge of mastery.
And then—
Step One.No struggle.
Step Two.His vision remained clear.
Step Three.His mana whirled but did not spiral out of control.
Step Four.His breath slowed… and he kept walking.
Step by step… toward the place where knowledge forgotten by time awaited.
The Third Floor—he was coming.