one more chapter before its all the same as the other sites

  Discimer: I do not own Bck Clover and any other references belongs to their respective creators

  Asta woke up as the first rays of sun hit his eyes. Rubbing the grime from his lids, he pulled up his [Status] and smiled at the results. Blushing slightly at the memory of st night's kiss with Noelle, he stretched his body and looked to his side, finding Yuno already gone. He smiled to himself before a screen shimmered into existence in front of him:

  [World Quest Received]

  [Objective: Go to the Grimoire Ceremony]

  [Reward:[?], Css Advancement]

  His eyes widened at the notification. Before he could process it, another screen appeared.

  [Did you see the quest?] it was a message from Noelle

  [Yeah] He replied

  [Are you prepared?]

  [Yes! good luck, Noelle]

  [You too!]

  He smiled as he closed the screens and walked toward the kitchen. He finished his daily chores before he, Yuno, and the rest of the orphanage headed toward the Magic Tower to cim their Grimoires.

  The walk to the tower took an hour, as it was situated centrally between several surrounding towns. Asta and Yuno didn't talk much; excitement hummed through their systems as they watched more and more people converge on the main road. Eventually, the destination came into view: a massive stone tower standing in a clearing, already crowded with people. As they entered, those who had accompanied them moved to the spectator area, while Asta and Yuno took their pces in line with the other hopefuls.

  "Welcome, young men and women! Each of you begins a new path starting today!" an old man in a rge hat announced. He stood before the crowd with a glowing magic crystal ball, backed by shelves of books that towered high into the ceiling. "I am the Master of this Tower. We haven't had a Wizard King from this region in quite some time... nor have many achieved greatness by joining the Magic Knights."

  Asta and Yuno kept their eyes on the old man while the people around them whispered, rgely ignoring the Master's speech. As the man's voice grew louder and more formal, Asta flicked his gaze toward his screen, noting that the quest was still marked as [Ongoing].

  "Now, it is time for the awarding of the Grimoires!"

  With a fsh of light, countless books began to glow, lifting from the shelves and drifting toward their respective owners. Asta and Yuno watched in awe as the room filled with shimmering light. Suddenly, a brilliant green radiance erupted from a book that streaked across the room, coming to a halt directly in front of Yuno.

  As Yuno cimed his prize, Asta's screen flickered into life.

  [Quest Complete]

  [Received: [?], Css Advancement]

  [Negotiating with [?]

  [Warning: While negotiating, User will be forced into a [Rest] state.]

  A wave of overwhelming exhaustion hit Asta. His vision blurred, and before he could even call out, he colpsed to the ground. The surrounding crowd gasped, their focus shifting from Yuno's incredible Grimoire to the boy lying motionless on the floor.

  "What happened?" someone whispered, as Yuno's shock mirrored the confusion of the crowd. Then their shock turned to ughter.

  "He didn't get a Grimoire! He must have fainted from the shock!" a person yelled from somewhere.

  That was the conclusion most of the crowd reached, and the room erupted into a fever pitch of mocking ughter.

  "Asta!" Sister Lily cried out, her voice full of worry.

  "My boy..." Father Orsi muttered, his face pale.

  "What happened?" Nash questioned, looking bewildered. "Asta's supposed to be the strongest one here. How could this happen?"

  "It's because Asta has no magic," Yuno said, walking over to them. His expression was unreadable as he gnced down at Asta before sitting on the floor beside him. He opened his legendary Four-Leaf Grimoire, letting the book acclimate to his mana. "Leave him be for now."

  With nothing else they could do, the people from the orphanage lingered for a moment, looking worriedly at Asta. After offering a quick, somber word of congratutions to Yuno, they began the trek back to the orphanage, leaving the two rivals behind in the tower.

  By the time Yuno opened his eyes again, the sun was already dipping below the horizon. He looked to his side and found Asta still unconscious on the floor; the tower was now empty, the crowds long gone. After a final, lingering look at his rival, Yuno turned and headed for the exit.

  However, as soon as he stepped outside the tower, a voice cut through the silence.

  "Creation Magic: Magic-Binding Iron Chains!"

  Before Yuno could react, glowing iron links surged forward, binding him tightly. He gasped as the chains constricted, feeling his mana vanish instantly.

  "Don't bother struggling. Those chains seal both your movements and your mana," a man sneered as he stepped out from the shadows. Yuno turned as best he could to face his captor. "I didn't expect to find such a prize in a dump like this. I guess today is my lucky day."

  The moment Asta's eyes snapped open, his [Ki Sense] fred to life. He immediately picked up Yuno's presence nearby, but there was a second, hostile signature pressing close to him. Before he could even stand, a screen materialized in his vision:

  [Quest Received]

  [Defeat the Robber]

  [Note: Don't use (?)]

  [Reward: Meeting with (?) ]

  Asta didn't waste a second. Sensing the stranger lunging at Yuno, he activated [Sprint]. He became a blur, appearing instantly beside the unknown man. He threw a lightning-fast punch, but a sudden prickle of danger at his back forced him to pivot. With a series of acrobatic flips, he cleared the distance and nded protectively at Yuno's side.

  "How did you... where did you come from?" the man stammered, his confusion quickly morphing into a mocking grin. "Wait, isn't this the brat who fainted? What do you think you're going to do? Without a Grimoire, you're useless!"

  Asta didn't even acknowledge the man's existence. Instead, he turned his head slightly toward his rival.

  "Really, Yuno?" Asta asked.

  "He ambushed me," Yuno deadpanned, his voice ft. "So, how strong is he?"

  Asta focused his gaze on the attacker and whispered, "[Observe]".

  Revchi [Chain Magic User]

  Level: 25

  Hp: 1000/1000

  MP: 3000/3000

  "He's weak," Asta commented bluntly.

  [Sprint Activated]

  "How dare you, you magic-less insect!" Revchi roared. He shed out, but his eyes widened as Asta vanished again.

  Before Revchi could register the movement, Asta was behind him, a silver spear now gripped firmly in his hands. Revchi's chains whipped around in a desperate counter-attack, but Asta was already gone, reappearing directly in front of him.

  [Zetten (Spear) Used]

  A split second ter, a sharp pain erupted as the spear pierced through Revchi's right hand. he looked at the pain and saw it has a small hole in it.

  "ARGHHHH!" Revchi screamed, clutching his bleeding hand.

  "Surrender," Asta commanded, leveling the glowing blue tip of the spear at the man's throat.

  "You magic-less—!" Revchi roared, his mana fring as he prepared a desperate counter-attack.

  But before his chains could even begin to move, Asta blurred. With a sharp crack, the blunt end of the spear struck the back of Revchi's head. The thief's eyes rolled back as he colpsed, his mana flickering out. Instantly, the iron chains binding Yuno dissolved into thin air.

  "Let's call the Magic Knights," Asta said, grabbing a nearby rope and expertly tying Revchi up.

  Yuno stood up and walked over, his legendary Four-Leaf Grimoire floating steadily at his side. He stopped just behind Asta, his presence heavy with a new kind of determination.

  "Asta," Yuno said quietly.

  "Yeah?"

  "I'm going to beat you," Yuno decred, his eyes locking onto his friend's. "I'm going to become the Wizard King."

  Asta stood up and turned to face him. He didn't hesitate for a second. "Me too."

  Yuno held out his fist. Asta smiled, meeting the gesture with a firm fist bump that sealed their promise.

  Night had fallen at the orphanage, and a small feast had been prepared in Yuno's honor. Surprisingly, there had been no messages from Noelle or the System for hours. Asta took his seat, enjoying the food and the rare moment of peace.

  "What happened next?" Nash asked eagerly, he and the other orphans leaning in close.

  "Asta beat him up," Yuno said simply, gncing at his rival. "Then we escorted him to the Magic Knights."

  "Cool!" the kids cheered.

  Father Orsi, however, looked at Asta with a worried expression. "My boy... how can you join the Magic Knights without a Grimoire? It's the basic requirement."

  "I'll just beat everyone up until they have no choice but to let me join," Asta replied with a grin.

  As they talked, a screen shimmered into existence in front of him. Asta excused himself from the table, noticing Yuno's sharp gaze following him.

  [Quest Complete]

  [Received: [?, Css Advancement, -110000 tokens, Item Lost: [Silver Spear (R)]

  [Note: Shared Room will be avaible immediately, Please use Rest to Receive Rewards]

  Before he could process the massive loss of currency and his weapon, another screen popped up next to it.

  [Finally, I can reach you] It was a message from Noelle.

  [Noelle! Did you faint as well?"]

  [Yes. I got my Grimoire and then I just... colpsed. I woke up in my room a little while ago. I think I caused a scene.]

  [Sorry its on my side]

  [Did you see the rewards? I think there's been a mistake—we lost all our tokens!]

  [What?!]

  Then asta looked at his status, and there it was a negative one hundred tokens, then he looked at her message

  [My spear is gone as well!]

  [What did you do?] Noelle asked.

  [I don't now, I just completed a quest] Asta replied frantically.

  [lets us meet in room ter, it a good thing it's the room is avaible again]

  [okay]

  [oh and Asta]

  [Okay.]

  [Oh, and Asta...]

  [Yes?]

  [Congratutions.]

  [You too.]

  Asta smiled and closed the screens, but his heart jumped as he felt Yuno's Ki moving toward him.

  "Who are you talking to?" Yuno asked, his eyes narrowing as he stepped onto the porch. He leaned against the railing, his gaze fixed on Asta's empty, frantic gestures.

  "I'm not talking to anyone!" Asta stammered, waving his hands around in a desperate attempt to look natural.

  "Noelle," Yuno muttered.

  Asta froze. He looked at his rival, his face a mask of pure confusion and rising panic. "How did you—?"

  "I heard you mutter her name in your sleep," Yuno said, his voice ft but his eyes glinting with rare mischief.

  "I do not!" Asta protested, his voice cracking.

  "Noelle... stop licking me there..." Yuno mimicked, his voice dropping into a mocking, breathy tone, complete with a dramatized moan that made Asta's jaw drop.

  Asta's face turned a shade of red that rivaled a tomato. "Maybe... maybe I'm just imagining a person! You don't know that!"

  "Six years," Yuno said, pivoting on his heel to face the dark forest.

  "What? What does that even mean?"

  "It's been six years since you stopped confessing to Sister Lily," Yuno noted, counting the time in his head. "You did it every single day since we were toddlers. Then, suddenly, you stopped. And now you're mentioning this girl in your sleep. You even got a bo—"

  "Okay! Okay! Stop! Stop right there!" Asta shouted, his hands cmped over his ears, his face beet-red. "She's just... she's a friend I met years ago! She has this weird magic that lets us message each other from far away. That's it!"

  Yuno gave him one st long, skeptical look, his expression unreadable. He let out a small "hmpf" before turning to head back inside. "If you say so."

  Asta stood alone on the porch for a moment, staring up at the ceiling and letting out a long, shaky breath to calm his racing heart before slinking back inside to rejoin the feast.

  When Asta opened his eyes again, he found himself staring at a clean, modern ceiling. He was back in the [Partner Room]. Despite having been there just yesterday, the transition always felt a bit surreal. He pushed himself up from the incredibly soft mattress and spotted Noelle already awake. She was tucked into a chair at the computer, her knees pulled up to her chest as she focused intently on whatever was pying on the screen.

  "Hello, Noelle," Asta said softly. He walked over and leaned down to press a gentle kiss to the top of her head. Pulling up a chair behind her, he wrapped his arms around her, resting his hands comfortably over hers.

  "Hello, Asta," she replied, her voice rexing as she leaned back into him.

  "How are you holding up?"

  "I'm fine, mostly," she sighed, though her cheeks pinked slightly. "It was... more than a little embarrassing to faint the second I got my Grimoire. My siblings were pretty ruthless once they heard about it. They didn't let me hear the end of it. What about you? How was your side of things?"

  Asta caught her up on everything: the quest, the ambush on Yuno, the fight with the thief, and finally, the celebration at the orphanage.

  "So, Yuno got a four-leaf clover Grimoire, a thief tried to steal it, you beat the man senseless, and then Yuno found out about us?" Noelle summarized, turning in her chair to look at him.

  "Well, yes," Asta admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. "But he only knows that we're talking. He doesn't know about... well..."

  "That we're married?" Noelle asked, a small, knowing smile pying on her lips.

  "Exactly."

  Noelle turned back toward the screen, her expression thoughtful. "I suppose that's just how it goes for the 'Lost Prince,' then."

  Asta leaned in, looking at her closely. "Wait... you're not jealous? He got the legendary four-leaf clover, and I ended up face-down on the floor."

  "Of course not," Noelle said firmly, reaching up to cup his cheek. "Why would I be? I'm married to you—the Chosen One of the Gods."

  "Thanks, Noelle," Asta murmured. He leaned down and kissed her, a long, lingering moment that she warmly reciprocated. Asta manage to sneak his tongue inside her which she accepted but before it got anymore heated they stopped. Then asta looked at the room

  "So... is there anything else new here?" Asta asked, gncing around the familiar modern space.

  "Yes," Noelle replied. She stood up and pointed toward the firepce. Standing right next to it was a new door. Unlike the color changing door they usually used for [Instances], this was a solid bck door—matte and imposing—with a heavy silver doorknob.

  "Should we check it out?" Asta asked, stepping closer to inspect the frame. He could feel a strange hum coming from behind the dark wood.

  "Yes," Noelle answered. She took a moment to smooth out the folds of her dress—a rge, elegant white gown she usually wore while they were in this sanctuary.

  With a determined look, Noelle stepped up beside him. Asta reached for the handle, his hand hovering over the cold metal for a long second before he finally turned it.

  The moment they crossed the threshold, the world shifted violently. The modern comfort of the Partner Room vanished, repced by a massive, open-air arena. Asta recognized the yout from a previous [Instance]—a vast stone square—but this time, it was surrounded by a dense, green forest. Two towering digital screens loomed over the edges of the clearing, and a sophisticated camera device was mounted beside each one, its lens tracking their movements.

  "There's nothing here," Noelle noted, her voice echoing slightly in the vast space as they looked around the empty stone floor.

  However, as they scanned the perimeter, they spotted another door standing solitary against the tree line. It was the same matte bck as the first one. Asta and Noelle shared a silent nod, their curiosity outweighing their caution, and stepped toward it together.

  They were teleported again, this time appearing inside a cavernous, open warehouse. The high ceiling was a weathered brown, and the space was illuminated by sleek, futuristic mps—the kind of advanced lighting Noelle had often wished they could bring back to their own world.

  In the center of the room stood a single raised ptform. Below it sat two massive circur vats: one was filled with a thick, swirling bck substance, while the other contained a mysterious, glowing blue liquid they couldn't identify.

  As they walked toward the far end of the hall where another door waited, Asta stopped in his tracks. There, suspended inside a transparent tube, his silver spear floated silently, pulsing with a faint light.

  "Hey! My spear!" Asta shouted, pointing frantically. Noelle's eyes widened as they watched the silver spear suddenly release from the tube and drop into the vat of thick bck substance. "Give it back!"

  "Why is there no one here to expin this?" Noelle asked, looking around the empty, echoing warehouse. Asta looked just as confused, but since the vat showed no signs of letting the weapon go, they turned their attention toward the next door.

  They were teleported again, but this time, the location left them both stunned. They were standing in a modern, fully-equipped kitchen. It was a shock to both of them; they had always known this pce to be a digital or spiritual realm where food shouldn't exist.

  Asta walked over to a rge, metallic object with handles—a refrigerator. He pulled it open, his eyes nearly popping out of his head. It was packed with fresh vegetables.

  "There's actual food here!"

  "Asta, look at this," Noelle said, picking up a rge, round cup from the counter. She handed it to him, and he squinted at the strange characters printed on the side.

  "'Ra-men'?" Asta read the word aloud, puzzled. "Is this some kind of food?"

  "More questions and no answers," Noelle sighed. They both turned their gaze toward the side of the room, where yet another door waited for them.

  They were teleported once more, but this time they were greeted by a space that felt familiar. It was simir to their [Partner Room], but with one major difference: there was no firepce. Instead, the walls were covered in massive digital monitors—much rger than the computer screen in their bedroom.

  Some of the screens dispyed empty ndscapes, while others were filled with lines of text in a nguage they couldn't decipher. On several dispys, glowing green lines spiked up and down every second; on others, the lines flickered from red to green and back again in a rhythmic pulse.

  "This one looks like the first pce we entered," Asta noted, recognizing the image on a central monitor. It showed a live feed of the rge square arena surrounded by the forest.

  "And this one is the warehouse with the vats," Noelle added, pointing to a screen where they could see the bck and blue substances swirling in their containers.

  They gnced toward the side of the room and found two distinct exits. The first was unmistakable: the [Instance Door], complete with the familiar heavy wheel lock they used to select their missions. But beside it stood another bck door. This one wasn't locked; it was slightly ajar, casting a thin sliver of light onto the floor.

  "I can hear a voice in there," Asta whispered, his [Ki Sense] likely picking up a presence he couldn't quite identify.

  Noelle immediately pulled her attention away from the glowing monitors. She hurried to Asta's side, her expression a mix of caution and curiosity. They shared a brief, silent nod, bracing themselves for whatever—or whoever—was waiting. Together, they pushed the door open and stepped inside.

  The room beyond was pitch bck, but as they stepped inside, the voice became deafening. It wasn't a divine greeting or a mysterious riddle; it was a frantic, high-pitched string of insults.

  "F—k! Stun it!" the voice screamed into the darkness. "Heal me! Are you f—king stupid? The enemy is right there!"

  Asta and Noelle froze. The air didn't feel magical or heavy—it just felt stressed. The voice continued to shout a relentless stream of curse words that even Asta, who grew up in a rough vilge, found impressive.

  "Watch your fnk! You're throwing the match! Argh, you're all useless!"

  The guy was a complete mess of kinetic energy. He was hunched over in a "shrimp" posture, his feet tucked under him on a chair that looked way too expensive for someone this unhinged. His hair was a bleached-blonde bird's nest, standing up in every direction as if he'd been running his hands through it in frustration for hours.

  "NO! NO! NO!" he screamed, his hands flying across the keyboard like spiders on caffeine. "HE'S CHEATING! CHAT, HE'S SNIPING! IT'S A WIPE! IT'S A TOTAL WIPE!"

  He smmed his desk—a loud, hollow bang—and then immediately leaned back, his eyes bugging out at the screen. He started talking at a thousand miles per hour, the words slurring together into a rhythmic, high-pitched mumble that Asta and Noelle could barely understand. He suddenly stood up on the seat of his chair, crouched like a gargoyle, and ripped his headset off. "F—K! WE LOST! CHAT, STOP SPAMMING THE L!"

  Just as he was about to go on another rant, he stiffened. He slowly turned his head, his wide, bloodshot eyes nding on Asta and Noelle standing in the doorway.

  "Wait..." he blinked, his twitchy energy suddenly hitting a wall. "Is the... is the stream still on?

  "Hello?" Asta asked, his voice echoing in the messy room.

  The blonde guy jumped, startled. He didn't even look at them as he frantically closed out several windows on the computer. He stood up and cpped his hands sharply; instantly, the overhead lights flickered to life, blinding Asta and Noelle for a second.

  "Sorry about that," the person said, his voice finally losing that frantic, slurred edge.

  Asta and Noelle's jaws dropped. As the man stood up fully, he seemed to grow, his shadow stretching across the room until he was towering over them, looking down with an imposing, almost demonic presence.

  He didn't say anything for a moment, just stared. Then, he let out a long sigh and walked toward a desk on the left. He picked up a pair of gsses, and with a sudden, audible "Poof!", a cloud of smoke enveloped him. When it cleared, the giant was gone. In his pce stood a much shorter version of the same person—still blonde, still wearing that same chaotic energy, but his eyes... they were different now. Sharp, strange, and filled with a hidden depth.

  "The name's Liebe, by the way," he said, adjusting his gsses and pointing toward the door they had just come through. "Let's talk outside, okay? It smells like failure in here."

  The two followed him back into the previous room. With a sharp cp of his hands, the entire space flooded with warm light. Now that it was brighter, they could see the details clearly. It really was an exact copy of their [Partner Room], but the bed and firepce were gone. In their pce sat a massive, sleek desk.

  They followed the boy until he hopped onto the desk, sitting cross-legged. As soon as he settled, his simple white shirt and blue pants shimmered and transformed. Suddenly, he was wearing vibrant yellow robes they recognized from a previous instance—complete with a triangur cap and a flowing cape. Most striking, however, were the two bck horns curving from his head and his long, pointed ears.

  "Sorry for what you saw earlier," Liebe muttered, pulling a ft, square device from the desk. He flipped it open, and it lit up with a soft glow, though the screen was angled so only he could see it. "When you're trapped in a tower for a very long time, it changes a person, you know?"

  "Uh-huh..." Noelle said, her voice dripping with scepticism as she adjusted her posture, trying to maintain her composure. "So, who are you exactly?"

  "Liebe," he repeated, his eyes not leaving his screen.

  "Are you our guide?" she pressed.

  "No," Liebe answered ftly.

  "Then who are you?" Asta asked, leaning forward.

  Liebe didn't answer immediately. Instead, he simply pointed a cwed finger at Asta, who looked back at him with a face full of confusion. "I'm the one trapped in that guy's Grimoire."

  "I didn't know a person could be trapped in those things," Asta said, scratching his head.

  "I'm no person," Liebe corrected, his voice dropping an octave.

  "Wait..." Noelle's eyes widened, her royal education suddenly kicking in as she connected the dots. She looked at Liebe in genuine shock. "It was in the legends... Three leaves represent faith, hope, and love. The four-leaf is legendary, representing luck. But the fifth leaf—"

  "It's possessed by the Devil," Liebe finished for her. He fshed a wide, jagged smile, showing off rows of sharp teeth that glinted in the light of the monitors.

  Asta and Noelle both flinched, their bodies tensing for a fight. But Liebe just leaned back and put his hands up in a zy gesture of peace, his long, dark fingernails waving dismissively.

  "Rex. I'm not here to fight," Liebe said, his intense gaze shifting back to Asta. "Now, what was the name of that quest you just finished?"

  Asta blinked, trying to calm his racing heart. "I... I remember the System talking to someone during the quest. It was asking for permission or something."

  "That someone," Liebe said, tapping the side of his head with a smirk, "is me!"

  When the two didn't say another word Liebe continued. He shifted back into his 'shrimp' posture, knees tucked to his chest, biting his thumbnail nervously as he began to twirl in his high-backed chair. "Now, let me tell you a story."

  "You see, I've been trapped in that Grimoire for a very long time. I'm not gonna give you the full lore dump because it's way too long and I've got things to do. Short version: I was minding my own business, sleeping in the dark, and then—boom—I was teleported to this white void."

  He stopped spinning for a second, his eyes fshing with the memory. "Then, [REDACTED] gave me a deal. [REDACTED] could help me with my quest for revenge, and in exchange, I had to help their 'Champion.'"

  "And you just took it?" Noelle asked, her eyes narrowing. "You just agreed to serve some mysterious voice?"

  "F—k no!" Liebe barked, smming his hand on the desk. "I don't take orders from anyone, especially not some disembodied voice in a white room!"

  Noelle blinked, startled by his outburst. "Then... how did you end up here? How did the deal go through?"

  "Shut up and let me finish, okay? I'm getting there!" Liebe hissed, his leg bouncing up and down at a hundred miles per hour. "Now, I tried to shoo [REDACTED] away, but I couldn't. I'm a Devil, you know? I don't take orders, especially from someone like [REDACTED]. So instead, he pivot-pyed me—offered a new deal. Then, poof, I was teleported to your little 'Sanctuary.' I was intrigued, honestly. There was nothing like that back in my pce."

  Liebe jumped from his chair, his feet hitting the floor with a light tap before he started pacing around the desk with frantic, energy. Asta looked more confused than ever, while Noelle watched Liebe's erratic movements like she was looking at something she'd found on the bottom of her shoe.

  "Then [REDACTED] took me on a little tour of [REDACTED]. The more we traveled, the more I thought, 'Damn, I want a piece of that.' So, I started negotiating. It took forever, don't you know?" He began gesturing wildly, listing things off with his fingers. "I wanted many things! Like [Redacted] and[Redacted] and [Redacted]!"

  "Can you please hurry up?" Noelle snapped, her patience finally reaching its limit.

  "Tch." Liebe stopped and gred at her before continuing. "Fine. Short story? I managed to secure a massive amount of credit—your tokens—and I put it all into a high-stakes lottery."

  "In our name?!" Noelle gasped, her voice reaching a pitch of outrage.

  "Of course! I'm bound to both of you," Liebe shrugged, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

  "But I don't even have a Five-Leaf Grimoire!" Noelle protested, gesturing to herself.

  "Yeah, but you're married to this guy," Liebe said, pointing a sharp thumb at Asta. "What he owns, you own. His soul, his Grimoire, his debt... it's a package deal."

  "I—" Noelle stammered, her face turning a deep shade of crimson as she looked between the smirking Devil and her husband.

  "Anyways, everything you saw in those rooms? That's what I pulled from the lottery," Liebe said, leaning back with a smug grin.

  "Even those things?" Asta asked, pointing to the massive wall of monitors where the jagged green and red lines continued to flicker.

  Liebe looked over his shoulder at the screens, his eyes lighting up as he watched a series of red lines suddenly snap into bright green. "Oh, those? Those are my tokens."

  "Tokens?" Asta repeated, tilting his head.

  "Yeah. I've got them working on the market," Liebe expined, his fingers beginning to twitch as if he were already back at his keyboard. "I can't just live off your credits forever. I'm xDL—the Number One [REDACTED] on the [REDACTED]."

  Noelle's eyes narrowed, her temper simmering just below the surface. "Wait a minute. So those are our credits you're using to py your little market games?"

  "F—k no," Liebe snapped, swiveling his chair back around to face his desk. "Those are mine alone."

  "Then what about the credits you used earlier?" Noelle pressed, stepping forward. "The ones that put us a hundred thousand tokens in debt?"

  Liebe didn't even look back. He just shrugged, his voice dripping with a mix of arrogance and mischief. "Look, it's simple math: what's mine is mine, and what's yours... is also mine."

  "You are a literal devil!" Noelle hissed.

  Liebe finally looked over his shoulder, fshing a sharp, toothy grin. "Thanks. I try."

  He tapped a sequence on his desk, and the central monitors shifted. The market graphs vanished, repced by a split-screen view of the first area they had visited. Then, the two side screens flickered to life, showing a live feed of their actual bedroom.

  "Is that... us?" Asta asked, stepping closer to the screen.

  The view was clear. On the left monitor, Asta was sprawled out, snoring away. On the right, Noelle was curled up on her side, her arms wrapped tightly around a pillow, spooning it in her sleep.

  "You sleep like that, Noelle?" Asta asked, gncing at his wife with a grin. "You look like you're trying to strangle that pillow."

  "We've slept in the same room for six years, Asta. You should have known that by now!" Noelle retorted, her cheeks turning a light pink.

  "I don't know," Asta teased, rubbing the back of his head. "I thought you only started doing that after our first kiss!"

  "You...! Be quiet!" Noelle stammered, her embarrassment spiking.

  "Can you two stop flirting in front of me?!" Liebe yelled, looking genuinely disgusted. He smmed his hand on the desk and groaned. "F—k, I need my chat right now. I need someone to see what I'm dealing with! This is pure cringe!"

  Both Asta and Noelle turned bright red as Liebe turned back to his screen, his fingers flying across the keys. His feet were bouncing so fast against the floor they made a frantic, drumming noise that filled the room.

  "Anyways," Liebe muttered, his voice barely audible over the ccking of his keys, "I'm contractually obligated to help the two of you get stronger. It's written into the contract, unfortunately."

  "So you really are our guide!" Asta excimed, his eyes lighting up with excitement. He didn't seem to mind that their guide was this eccentric, swearing devil—he was just happy to have the help.

  "Yes," Liebe hissed, smming the 'Enter' key with finality. "I'm the guy who redirects your stats, your upgrades, and making sure you don't die like total noobs in what ever adventure your ass goes to."

  "A very expensive one at that," Noelle muttered under her breath, crossing her arms and looking at the debt counter on the wall.

  Liebe spun his chair around so fast he nearly flew off it. "Listen, Princess! Quality isn't cheap! You want to fight high-level mages with a twig and some water balloons? Fine! But if you want the 'Chosen One' gear, you have to pay the iron price—or in this case, the 110,000 token price!"

  He pointed a jagged nail at the screen showing the warehouse. "That spear wasn't going to upgrade itself. Now, do you want to see what your money actually bought you, or are we going to stand here and talk about your 'budget' all day?"

  Noelle fell silent, her pride finally losing out to her curiosity. Seeing that he finally had their undivided attention, Liebe's toothy grin widened.

  "Good. Now, that first room you saw? That's the [Infinite Training Grounds]. You can hone your skills there whenever you want."

  "How is that any different from just training in the woods outside the orphanage?" Asta asked, still looking a bit skeptical.

  "I'm gd you asked," Liebe said, leaning forward and tapping the screen. "You know how every skill has a cost? Mana, stamina, mental fatigue—eventually, you hit a wall and have to nap. But in that room? The cost is negated. You can spam your most powerful moves infinitely. No cooldowns, no exhaustion. Just pure, raw practice."

  Asta's eyes practically turned into stars. "No way! I can swing my spear until my arms fall off?!"

  "Better yet," Liebe continued, his voice dropping into a more serious, 'gamer' tone. "There's a [Combat Projection] mode. The system can spawn any opponent you've already encountered and make them your sparring partner. It's a 1:1 replica of their strength, speed, and magic, you can even adjust to be in your level so you cant smurf the poor dummy."

  "Anyone?" Noelle asked, her mind immediately jumping to the powerful mages they might face in the future.

  "Anyone," Liebe confirmed, his sharp eyes glinting. "Granted, you have to beat them in the real world—or an Instance—first. The system needs the data before you can fight it."

  Liebe leaned back in his chair, spinning it once in a complete circle before stopping it with a sharp kick against the desk. The screen shifted, zooming in on the bubbling vats they had seen earlier.

  "The next room is the [Item Manufacturing Hub]," Liebe expined, his eyes reflecting the glow of the swirling substances. "As the name suggests, it's a forge for your gear. It can take any item you find in the real world and infuse it with my power—or in your wife's case, her mana."

  Noelle's eyes narrowed as she looked at the vat of blue liquid. "So, it's like an enchantment? What exactly did that bck vat do to Asta's spear? What's the effect?"

  Liebe's smirk grew wider, his sharp teeth catching the light. He tapped a final key on his desk, and the monitors began to power down one by one, plunging the room into a soft, dim glow.

  "That's a secret," he said, his voice dropping to a mischievous whisper.

  "Wait! What about this room?" Asta asked, gesturing to the command center they were standing in. "And what about the door we haven't seen yet?"

  "This?" Liebe muttered, gncing around at his glowing setup with a look of possessive pride. "This is my [Sacred Sanctuary]. This is the brain of the whole operation. Considering those first two rooms—the gym and the workshop—were dirt cheap to set up, most of your 'donations' went into making sure I have a proper connection."

  "Dirt cheap?!" Noelle exploded. "We are over a hundred thousand tokens in the red!"

  "Infrastructure is expensive, Princess! Deal with it!" Liebe barked back. He stood up from his chair, his long shadow momentarily looming over them again before he shrunk back down, adjusting his gsses the noticed looking at him like he was dirty.

  "Stop looking at me like that!" Liebe snapped at Noelle, who didn't even blink. He turned his attention back to the center monitor. "Alright, focus. Let's get to the [Css Advancement]."

  "Finally!" Asta cheered, pumping a fist into the air.

  "Let me expin first, since you're probably too thick to get it," Liebe said, his fingers dancing across the desk. "Csses are like roles. For humans who don't have a connection to the System, a 'Css' is basically just whatever their soul's aptitude was meant to be. For example, a mage with a high aptitude for nature magic becomes a [Nature Mage]. But a mage with that same power who's more in tune with recovery? Their Css becomes a [Healer]. Got it?"

  He swiped a screen toward them, showing a silhouette of Asta.

  "Usually, you're stuck with whatever you're born with. But because of the System you get to choose how your soul evolves. You're not just a guy with a sword anymore; you're about to specialize."

  "Questions?"

  Both Asta and Noelle shook their heads, completely focused now. This was the first time they were hearing the actual "logic" behind how people in their world got stronger.

  "Now, let's talk about the [Css Upgrade] system," Liebe continued. "If you've been paying attention to your friends' status screens, you've probably noticed they have a Css followed by a level. Here's the breakdown: Every five Job Levels grants you one Skill Point and Stats. Since I'm contractually obligated to be your 'Guide,' I'll be the one handling how those stats are distributed and upgraded. You're welcome."

  "Wait, so we get new moves just by levelling up?" Asta asked.

  "Every ten levels, you unlock a new Skill," Liebe expined, tapping a key. "But you don't just 'get' it. You have to learn it from a Css Trainer, which... well, I'll introduce those guys to you ter. They aren't exactly cheap either. And once you max out your current job level, you can Advance."

  "There's even more to Csses after that?" Noelle asked, her eyes widening. She had always thought a mage was just a mage.

  "Of course," Liebe answered with a shrug. "A soul is like a tree; it keeps growing. A simple route would be something like [Healer] into [Priest], then [Pope], and eventually [Saint]. That's the standard progression for any basic healer."

  "But you two?" Liebe smirked, his eyes glinting behind his gsses. "You two aren't exactly 'standard.'"

  Six glowing cards materialized out of thin air, clicking softly as they nded on the sleek surface of the desk. Liebe flicked his wrist, and the cards slid across the wood with magnetic precision—three stopping perfectly in front of Asta and three in front of Noelle.

  "These are your [Css Cards]," Liebe expined, leaning back and crossing his arms behind his head. "The descriptions are written right on them. Think of them as a blueprint for your soul; those cards represent exactly how you're going to grow from here on out."

  Asta reached out, his fingers tingling as he touched the cool, minated surface of the first card. "How are these determined? Did you pick them?"

  "Well, it's simple math, really," Liebe answered, his eyes reflecting the blue glow of the monitors. "It depends on your 'untyped' growth. The system analyzed everything you did while your Css was set to [None]—your habits, your fights, even the way you breathe—and calcuted your highest potential aptitudes."

  Liebe's toothy grin returned, and he reached for his keyboard. "Now, I'm not going to have you cluttering up my sanctuary while you decide. I'm sending you back to the [Training Grounds]. You can read them there without bothering my flow."

  Before Noelle could get out a protest about being dismissed, Liebe cpped his hands sharply.

  The command center dissolved into lights. A split second ter, Asta and Noelle were standing back in the center of the massive stone arena, the dense green forest whispering around them. The once-bnk digital screens looming over the clearing flickered to life, showing a live feed of Liebe back in his room, his fingers already flying across his machine as he ignored them completely.

  Asta looked down at the three cards clutched in his hand, his heart racing. "Well, Noelle... I guess it's time to see what we've become."

  Noelle then nodded and looked at her cards.

  The first one was her with a small crossbow mounted on her hand, the her in the card was doing flips and kicking while magic was erupting from her feet.

  [Combat Mage: As a close-combat specialist, the Combat Mage focuses on magic-imbued strikes and high-mobility maneuvers. The wrist-mounted crossbow serves as tactical support to keep enemies off-bance.

  Css Level free stats: +5 Agi, + 3 int every 5 levels.

  Noelle's brow furrowed. It was a far cry from the traditional, stationary spellcasting her family practiced. She looked at the second card. This version of her was lying prone on the ground, a massive, heavy-duty crossbow gripped in both hands. She looked cold, calcuted, and untouchable.

  [Magic Sniper]: A long-range specialist. Magic Snipers focus on extreme-distance precision and the deployment of magical traps to control the battlefield from the shadows.

  Css Level free stats: +3 dex, +4 and, +1 Wis every 5 levels.

  Finally, she looked at the third card. This one felt the most familiar, yet the most intense. It showed her standing tall, her Grimoire floating effortlessly at her side as raw, elemental power spiraled around her like a hurricane. No weapons, no tools—just pure, unfiltered magic.

  [Mage]: css that eschews physical weapons and mechanical augmentations to become a direct conduit for raw magical power. Through intense mental discipline, they reshape reality with spoken intent, turning the battlefield into a canvas of elemental destruction or arcane manipution.

  Css Level free stats: +3 int, +3 Wis every 5 levels

  Noelle let out a quiet breath, her fingers trembling slightly. "well I can guess the mage css, and the magic sniper but why the first?" noelle then looked at asta who was busy reading is cards. "What do yours look like, Asta?

  Asta fanned out his cards, his excitement palpable as the first one shimmered with a golden light.

  The image showed a cssic version of him—feet pnted firmly on the ground, a standard sword gripped in his hand as he faced down a small army of shadowy opponents. He looked like a wall that couldn't be moved.

  [Knight]: A discipline-focused css that excels in 'One vs. Many' scenarios. The Knight is a master of the sword and spear, built to endure the heaviest of strikes while maintaining a fwless defense.

  Css Level free stats: +1 Str, +2 Sta, +1 Dex, +150 hp every 5 levels.

  "A Knight? That sounds like the Magic Knights!" Asta chirped, though he quickly moved to the second card.

  His brow furrowed as he looked at the illustration. This version of him was wearing a sharp bck suit that felt strangely familiar, yet out of pce in the Clover Kingdom. As he watched the card's animation, glowing tattoos spread across his skin, and mechanical limbs sprouted from his back like metallic wings. It was a bizarre blend of biology and tools.

  [Fixer]: A versatile css that utilizes physical augmentations to adapt to any combat or life situation. A Fixer doesn't rely on luck or talent—they rely on tools. Note: This path is extremely resource-heavy and requires massive amounts of currency for advancement.

  Css Level free stats: +2 all stats excluding luk every 5 levels

  "Tons of money?" Asta gulped, thinking of their current negative bance. "Liebe would probably love that one just so he could spend more of our tokens."

  Finally, he looked at the third card. The image was a blur of violence and grace. His "Shadow Self" was wielding a massive, heavy bde that he smmed into the earth. Before the dust could settle, the weapon morphed into a spear for a lightning-fast thrust, then transformed again into a heavy hammer that shattered the ground. Bck lightning crackled around his body, and his eyes on the card glowed with a feral, crimson light.

  [Gdiator]: An expert when it comes to weapons who also excels at using any tool of war. This css generates Rage, a unique resource that increases as the user attacks or takes damage, fueling devastating special abilities.

  Css Level free stats: +3 str, +1 Sta, +1 Agi every 5 levels

  Asta stared at the Gdiator card, feeling a strange hum in his chest that matched the bck lightning on the screen. He looked over at Noelle, who was still weighing her own options.

  "The Knight is what I always dreamed of," Asta whispered, his thumb tracing the edge of the Gdiator card. "But this st one... it feels like it's screaming at me to pick it."

  Asta held the shimmering cards up toward the giant monitor, his brow furrowed. "Hey, Liebe! Did you make these? They're... weirdly specific."

  Liebe didn't even turn around. His silhouette on the screen just slumped further into his expensive chair, the blue light of his monitors washing over his blonde hair. "No," he muttered, the audio from the speakers crackling slightly. "The Gods generated them. They pulled data from multiple people across the [REDACTED] to see what fit your souls best."

  Noelle stepped forward, clutching her [Magic Sniper] card. She looked up at Liebe, her eyes narrowed in confusion. "But it's too vague! We're supposed to choose the path for our entire lives based on a few sentences and a moving picture? Can we see more than just this? Surely there's a detailed manual or a preview!"

  Liebe finally paused his typing. He swiveled his chair halfway, looking at them through the screen with a rare expression of genuine helplessness.

  "Sorry, Princess," he said, adjusting his gsses. "I can't help you there. I don't even know what half those csses are. This tech comes from way outside my forte. I'm just the guy who makes sure the numbers go up; I don't write the lore."

  Asta looked back at his [Fixer] card, specifically the one with the bck suit and the mechanical arms. "So we're basically flying blind? If I pick this 'Fixer' thing and it turns out I hate wearing suits, I'm stuck?"

  "I saw your memories, Asta," Liebe's voice crackled through the arena's speakers, sounding a bit more grounded. "I know you recognize that Fixer css. Don't py dumb."

  Asta tilted his head, his brow furrowing. "Really? I mean, it looks cool, but I don't remember being a businessman."

  "You always wear those gloves, don't you?" Liebe's silhouette on the screen pointed a cwed finger toward Asta's hands but since they were in the partner room no equipment cant be brought here only their rings where visible. "The original owner of those was a Fixer named The Bck Silence. You forgot already?"

  Asta's eyes went wide. He looked down at his hands, flexing his fingers inside the familiar fabric. He remembered the very first dungeon he got, the floating body who was the bck silence. "Oh, yeah! I remember now!"

  Noelle looked between Asta and her own cards, the gears in her head turning. She held up the [Magic Sniper] card, watching the animated version of herself fire a bolt with clinical precision. "Wait... so the reason I got this option is because of the years I spent mastering that crossbow we found?"

  "Yes, actually," Liebe replied. The relentless ccking of his keyboard slowed for a moment, signaling his rare undivided attention. He leaned closer to his camera, his gsses gleaming. "The system doesn't just pull these out of thin air. It looks at your history. You've already done the work; the cards just give it a name."

  "What about the [Combat Mage]?" Noelle asked, her thumb brushing over the card where her likeness performed a mid-air strike. "I don't remembering doing martial arts, we Silva's don't use those really."

  "I don't know," Liebe replied, his voice echoing with a nonchant shrug. "Maybe it looked at your family tree or something. I told you, I don't write the descriptions."

  Noelle looked down at the cards again, her eyes narrowing as she began to narrow her choices. She quickly excluded the [Mage] card; it felt stagnant, a reminder of what she would have become—isoted and traditional—if she hadn't met Asta when they were younger this was surely she would have become.

  She then gnced at the [Magic Sniper] card next. It was a safe, powerful choice, but the thought of being tucked away in the back while Asta charged into the fray made her stomach turn. She didn't want to watch him from a distance during their instances.

  Finally, her gaze settled back on the [Combat Mage], she already chosen the different way when she left her wand and choose her crossbow and if she can fight next to Asta rather then just behind him she would gdly change again. She gripped the card firmly before looking over at her husband, who remained completely motionless, staring intensely at his third card.

  "What do you choose, Asta?" Noelle asked, her voice soft but filled with curiosity as she stepped closer to him.

  "I'm thinking of [Gdiator]," Asta said, finally looking up from the card. His usual boisterous energy had been repced by a quiet, intense seriousness. "It feels tailor-made for me. The way it moves, the way it uses everything... it screams me."

  "Well, judging from your stats and skills, yeah, I can see that," Noelle replied, a small, supportive smile touching her lips. She knew better than anyone how he fought—unrelenting and adaptable.

  "What about you, Noelle?" Asta asked, turning the question back to her as he tucked his other cards away.

  She then handed Asta her first card, her decision final. "I'm going [Combat Mage]."

  Asta took the card, looking from the image of the agile warrior back to Noelle. "What about your weapon? It really doesn't fit with a combat mage; it's too rge for that kind of movement."

  "If you are worrying about your weapon," Liebe interjected, his voice cutting through their conversation and grabbing their attention. He swiveled his chair back toward the camera, leaning on his hand. "Don't worry. I talked to your spirit earlier when I noticed you were staring fiercely at that first card."

  Noelle's eyes widened in surprise. "Sir Kowalsky is here?"

  "Not here, per se, but he's in the real world," Liebe expined, tapping the side of his headset. "I contacted him earlier, and he said he will adapt to anything you choose. To quote him: 'I was made for this, so don't worry, Princess.'"

  Noelle nodded, her resolve hardening as Asta stepped forward beside her. "We've chosen our csses, Liebe."

  On the massive monitor, Liebe simply nodded in response. The screen featuring his messy room flickered and went dark, leaving the arena in a dim, expectant silence. A moment ter, two heavy stone doors materialized out of thin air directly in front of them.

  "Insert your chosen cards into the slots, then enter," Liebe's voice echoed throughout the training grounds, sounding distracted as the faint sound of his keyboard began to ctter once more. "I'm going back to my game. Good luck!"

  Asta and Noelle shared one st look of encouragement before approaching their respective doors. In the center of each door was a narrow, glowing orifice that pulsed with a soft light. Asta held his [Gdiator] card, while Noelle gripped her [Combat Mage] card, both ready to cross the threshold into their new specializations.

  As Asta slid his chosen card into the glowing slot, the other two cards in his hand darkened, turning to ash that scattered in the wind. A heavy, iron-wrought doorknob materialized on the stone surface with a resonant cck.

  "Good luck, Noelle," Asta said, his voice steady despite the adrenaline pumping through him. She gave him a sharp, determined nod as he turned the handle and stepped into the unknown.

  The moment he crossed the threshold, a cold, chill swept over him.

  [Css Change in Progress]

  [Warning: All current Skills have been temporarily sealed.]

  A fsh of light blinded him, and suddenly, the air turned damp and heavy. Asta found himself in a subterranean cavern. The walls were made of ancient white stone, slick with emerald moss that climbed toward a ceiling lost in shadow. The only sound was the steady drip of water—until he spotted a flicker of orange light deep in the clearing.

  As he approached, the smell of woodsmoke filled his lungs. Sitting upon a massive, square-cut rock was a man who looked like he had been carved from the mountain itself.

  He was towering and immensely buff—broader even than Yuno was tall. His hair was a chaotic shock of bck with deep violet tips, casting shadows over his shut eyes. He sat in total stillness, his silhouette framed by a small, crackling campfire. But the second Asta's boot crunched against a loose pebble, the man's eyes snapped open. A slow, predatory grin spread across his face.

  "Hoh... it's been a while since someone found their way down here," the man rumbled. His voice sounded like grinding stones.

  Asta stopped, instinctively reaching for a weapon that wasn't there. He took a better look at the stranger: the man wore a long, sleeveless bck trench coat that billowed slightly in the cavern's draft. Beneath it, a breastpte of polished obsidian protected his torso, reflecting the firelight in dull, dark fshes. A tattered red scarf was wound loosely around his neck, and his rge, fingerless gloves were gripped firmly around the hilt of a massive bde pnted straight into the earth.

  "Hi, sir!" Asta called out, shaking off the intimidation. "Are you my Css Instructor?"

  The man didn't stand up yet. He simply leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees as he analyzed Asta with a gaze that felt like it was measuring the weight of his soul. "Depends. What Css are you looking for, kid?"

  "Gdiator, sir!" Asta shouted, his voice echoing off the mossy white walls.

  The man let out a short, dry chuckle, his eyes glinting with amusement. "A Gdiator, huh? So, a total newbie then."

  Asta stood tall, his chest out. "Yes, sir! Ready to learn!"

  The man rose from the stone sb, and Asta realized he hadn't just been sitting; he had been coiled like a spring. He was a mountain of a man. As he stepped forward, his heavy bck cape billowed behind him, catching a phantom wind in the cavern. His weapon—a massive Zweihander the size of a grown man—rested as casually on his shoulder as if it were a toothpick.

  He began to circle Asta, his heavy boots echoing against the white stone. Asta felt like a rabbit being watched by a wolf.

  "Good," the man muttered. He reached out with a hand calloused by a thousand battles, gripping Asta's bicep and then his quads, squeezing with a clinical intensity to measure the density of the muscle. "A solid foundation. You've put in the work."

  He stepped back, his violet-tipped hair catching the firelight. "I can sense you've got a handle on [K, right?"

  "Yes, sir!" Asta barked, snapping into a rigid, military salute.

  "Don't be so stiff, newbie," the man drawled, waving a hand dismissively as he strolled back to the fire and sat. "It makes you slow. Now, tell me... how many?"

  Asta blinked, dropping his salute. "Sir?"

  "How many weapons have you truly mastered?"

  Asta thought for a second, picturing his training. "One, sir. But I have a good handle on two others."

  "No," the man interrupted, his gaze sharp enough to cut. "I'm talking about your Passive Skills. How many have you pushed to Rank (A)?"

  Asta's expression fell slightly. "Only one, sir."

  "Hmph. It's doable. I can sense you prioritized your Ki mastery first," the man noted. With a casual flick of his wrist, a wooden training spear shimmered into existence. He caught it and unched it at Asta's chest with blurring speed.

  Asta caught the weapon by the shaft just inches from his heart, the wood vibrating from the force of the throw.

  "Show me how you move," the man commanded.

  "Can I ask your name first, sir?" Asta asked, adjusting his grip on the training spear and falling into a combat stance.

  "Call me Master."

  "Master... surely you have a name?"

  The man's eyes clouded with a brief, ancient memory before he gave a sharp, jagged smile. "Ercnard Sieghart. That's what they called me back in Kanavan. But here, css is in session, kid. Show me what you've got!"

  "Yes, sir!" Asta roared, his spirit igniting as he lunged forward.

  [Css Change in Progress]

  [Warning: All current Skills have been temporarily sealed.]

  The moment Noelle crossed the threshold, the cold stone of the training grounds vanished, repced by the soft, springy sensation of moss beneath her boots. She found herself standing on a clear, winding path carved through a lush, emerald forest.

  Her eyes widened as she looked around. Floating through the air like fireflies were dozens of soft, glowing lights. Back in the Clover Kingdom, elemental spirits were rare—invisible whispers that only the most sensitive mages could ever hope to perceive. But here? They were everywhere. Small, pyful orbs of vibrant green and deep earthy brown danced between the branches, representing wind and earth in their purest forms.

  "It's beautiful..." she whispered, her composure slipping for a fleeting moment of wonder.

  She walked slowly, the path leading her toward a bright clearing. As she stepped out from beneath the canopy, she was greeted by the sight of a crystal-clear ke. The water didn't just ripple; it shimmered with life. Swarms of blue water spirits surged from the depths, leaping into the air in graceful arcs like liquid dolphins before spshing back down in a spray of light.

  Then, she noticed it.

  In the center of the clearing, perfectly pced to overlook the ke, sat an elegant, high-backed wooden table. Two chairs—upholstered in fine, cream-colored silk—awaited. Upon the table sat a sprawling, silver tea service and a tiered tray of desserts.

  Noelle froze. She knew those pastries. These were the same delicate macarons, gold-leafed tarts, and airy sponge cakes she had seen at countless high-society balls back in the Royal Capital. It was a scene of perfect, noble refinement, dropped into the heart of a wild, spiritual paradise.

  Seated at the table were two figures who looked as though they had stepped out of a dream. One was occupied with a small, chirping green spirit, letting it dance across their fingers, while the other sat with a spine of pure steel, gracefully sipping from a porcein cup.

  The woman at the head of the table was breathtaking. Her violet hair flowed like a silken river, held in pce by a delicate, shimmering tiara. Her outfit was a masterpiece of regal fir: a fitted, sleeveless white bodice with a sharp, stiff colr, yered under a short purple bolero jacket with dramatic, fred sleeves. As she moved, Noelle noticed an oversized purple bow at the small of her back, its long tails trailing behind her chair like the plumage of a rare bird. Every detail, from her tiered mini-skirt to her white thigh-high stockings held by gold-trimmed garters, screamed of a status that rivaled—if not surpassed—the royalty of the Clover Kingdom.

  The woman set her tea down with a soft clink that seemed to echo across the silent ke.

  "Oh? I sense a remarkably potent magical aura in you, young dy," the woman spoke, her voice smooth and melodic, yet carrying an unmistakable weight of authority. She looked Noelle up and down, her violet eyes gleaming. "What brings a girl of your caliber to this sanctuary?"

  Noelle felt her own instincts kick in. She stood tall, refusing to be cowed by the woman's presence. "I am here for a [Css Change], ma'am."

  "To what Css?"

  "[Combat Mage], ma'am."

  "Hmm..." The woman's expression didn't change, but she flicked her slender fingers.

  In a dizzying blur of purple light, Noelle was instantly teleported from across the clearing to the chair directly beside the woman. The stranger leaned in close, her violet eyes searching Noelle's face with clinical intensity. "So... a Dual Css, then."

  Noelle blinked, startled by the sudden proximity. "A... Dual Css?"

  "You didn't know?" The woman leaned back, taking another slow sip of her tea as if she hadn't just bent space to her will. "In short, it is a hybrid—a fusion of two distinct paths. One of the body, and one of the mind."

  With another effortless flick of her wrist, Noelle was snapped back to her original spot across the table. The dispcement left Noelle's head spinning, but the woman simply adjusted her cup.

  "Tell me, little bird," the woman said, her gaze turning sharp. "How do you usually cast your spells? Show me the foundation of your power."

  "Well, I used my wand initially," Noelle expined, her voice steadying as she focused. She raised her palm, and with a visible strain of concentration, a small, trembling sphere of water began to form. "But recently, I've switched to a crossbow."

  "A crossbow?" The woman tilted her head, her violet eyes tracking the slight wobbles in Noelle's water sphere.

  "Yes, ma'am. My husband and I found it during a quest," Noelle added, a small spark of pride flickering in her eyes. "It's been my main focus ever since."

  "Does it have a spirit dwelling within it?" the woman asked, her tone shifting from curious to knowing.

  Noelle's eyes widened, the water ball in her hand spshing back into liquid as her focus broke. "Yes! How did you know?"

  "Because," the woman began, setting her tea cup down with a final, echoing clink, "your magic flow is... bnd. It's unrefined."

  She stood up, her tiered skirt rustling like silk. "I can tell you've been relying on a spirit for 'auto-correction.' It's been fixing your aim and stabilizing your mana before you even realize it's off. But now? Now your skills are sealed. Without your tools and your spirit to hold your hand, you're back to basics—and it's taking you far too long to manifest even a simple spell."

  Noelle bit her lip, looking down at her empty palm. The realization stung more than her siblings' insults ever had, because this woman wasn't mocking her—she was stating a cold, hard fact. "Can you help me?" Noelle asked, her voice quiet but filled with a new, fierce determination.

  "Of course, dear," the woman replied, her expression softening into a small, elegant smile. She gestured to the vast, spiritual ke behind them. "That is exactly why you are here. And believe me, you've paid an immense amount of tokens for this privilege. Those things are priceless in [REDACTED]—don't let a single one of them go to waste."

  "Do you have any more questions before we begin?" Arme asked, her violet eyes twinkling with a sharp, calcuting intelligence.

  Noelle gnced between the two women, her brow furrowing. "Are you... my only instructor?"

  "Hardly," Arme replied, her voice smooth as silk as she gestured toward her companion. "I will be taking you first. We need to dismantle that clumsy casting of yours and rebuild your foundation from the ground up. Once you've proven your mind is sharp enough to handle magic, then—and only then—will you be handed over to her."

  Noelle turned her gaze to the second figure, who finally looked up from the spirits. She was tall and statuesque, with a vibrant, athletic build. Her long, forest-green hair was pulled back into a high, swaying ponytail, and her emerald eyes glowed with a constant, warm smile.

  She wore a sleek, form-fitting bodice of green and white with ornate gold trim, paired with high-cut shorts and eborate leg guards reinforced at the heels and toes. A semi-transparent "cape" of shimmering green energy drifted from her shoulders like a localized aurora. But as the woman stepped closer, Noelle's breath hitched. Peeking through those green locks were ears—long, graceful, and tapered to elegant points.

  "An... an Elf?" Noelle stammered, her composure breaking.

  "Oh?" the woman—Rena—let out a soft, melodic ugh. "You don't know what an Elf is, young dy?"

  "I... I've only ever seen them in ancient history books," Noelle admitted. In the Clover Kingdom, the Elves were a tragic legend, a race long gone. Seeing one here, radiating such life, felt like stepping into a myth.

  "I see," Rena said, her voice like a gentle breeze. "Though I'm fairly certain there are still a few of us hiding in the corners of your world. "

  "Any more questions?" Arme questioned as she look at Noelle.

  Noelle took a deep breath, trying to steady her racing heart. "Can I at least ask your names?"

  "For the duration of your training, you will address us as 'Master,'" Arme interjected, her tone shifting from conversational to a cold, professional edge. "But, if you must have bels... the dy of the woods is Rena, and my name is Arme. That is all we are permitted to tell you."

  With those final words, the two women turned back to their table and recimed their seats as if the conversation were finished. Noelle stood frozen in the center of the clearing, her brow furrowed in utter confusion. She had expected a lecture, a scroll, or perhaps a demonstration of power—not to be ignored over a cup of tea.

  Then, Arme snapped her fingers.

  The sound was as sharp as a whip crack. In an instant, Noelle felt the weight of her gown vanish. The fine silk, the corset, even her undergarments—everything was unmade into particles of light and discarded into the wind.

  The sudden, biting chill of the ke breeze hit her skin, sending a violent shiver through her frame. Noelle let out a strangled scream, her face exploding into a shade of crimson that rivalled a sunset. She reflexively folded inward, her arms clutched tightly across her growing chest and her legs pressed together to shield her womanhood from the open air.

  "W-w-what... What are you doing?!" Noelle squeaked, her voice cracking with a mixture of outrage and pure, raw panic.

  Arme didn't bother to look up from her tea. With a flick of her fingers, as casual as shooing a fly, she exerted a massive telekinetic force. Noelle was unched backward, soaring through the air before hitting the center of the ke with a heavy spsh.

  The water was freezing. It rushed into her nose and mouth, the weight of the ke pulling her beneath the shimmering surface. As she struggled, her limbs filing against the sudden depth, Arme's voice rang out—not through her ears, but directly into her mind, vibrating with magical authority.

  "Strip away the distractions, Noelle Silva. Your clothes, your pride, your tools—they are all anchors holding you to the surface. Feel the mana within your own veins first. Water is your element; it is not your enemy, it is your essence. Learn to perceive the mana in your body without the crutch of the System. Do not come up until you have felt it."

  Beneath the waves, the pyful water spirits Noelle had seen earlier began to circle her, their blue light illuminating her struggle as she realized this wasn't just a lesson—it was a survival trial.

  Next update is Tommorow