Chương 179: Chapter 184: Honeyed Breakfast

Miflin P. O. V. As soon as I felt them leave my shop, I turned on all the defences and shieldings.

"Why?" I asked. In front of me, appearing as if she had always been there all this time, was Aurelia. The damnable Tutorial Guide and one of this instance's administrators looked at me with that condescending expression I had always hated on those who had a smidgen of power over you, petty people doing petty jobs. If we were outside of here, she wouldn't be acting against me so easily. But the question remained, why even go against me? The consequences for her could be disastrous, unless…

she had something much more to gain by antagonizing me than by pleasing me.

"Lady Miflin, I'm terribly sorry about it, but I can't allow you to put him on a different path than the one he is on, you must have an idea of why…" Of course I had an idea, but I wanted to hear it from her. I wanted to know who the players pulling the strings of this game were.

"Eighty-seven. Eighty-seven times now, how many more times should this tutorial be reset? How was this even allowed!?" I was getting frustrated. This was in violation of at least a dozen System laws, but still it was being perpetrated.

"Let me tell you something, Guide, if I get whisked back in time again, it doesn't matter who is providing you with the means of doing this, it doesn't matter even if it's a Prince or a damn King, I would call upon my father, then we would see if you would keep that stupid smirk on your face when he came to annihilate all of your souls!" I hated having to resort to threats by using my daddy's name, but enough was enough, and seeing that thrice damned smile of hers falter was totally worth it.

"Lady Miflin, please, let's not be in such a hurry to call in favours, I assure you this will be the last iteration, you must understand, this tutorial is special, and that man has a powerful ally in one of the Administrators, there is very little we can do about it, my hands are tied now. I used all my influence to nudge things into motion, but I can't have you ruin the chance of breaking the loop, it would go against your interests too." So it really came to that…

"You are telling me that you are unable to act despite this blatant disregard for the rules directly under the System's supervision? Who is it? I want a name. Now."

"Lady Mi-""Don't Lady Miflin me! When I decided to participate in this Tutorial, I didn't sign up to have to pretend not to know everything that would happen time and time again! How many times should I pretend not to know the people coming in here? How many times should my efforts be wasted! And what in the Soul Lord's name happened to that Elias fellow!? What are you using him for?"

I was fuming, my form glowing reddish and becoming more indistinct as my emotions made themselves known to the silvery woman in front of me. Father is right, I still have much to learn. He would have never shown a smidgen of emotion to another in my situation, no, he would have worked through a solution.

"Please, Lady Miflin, let me assure you that we are working toward a solution, and part of that solution is setting Elias on the path of gaining the Crown, after that things will properly be set into motion and we will finally be able to break the cycles."

"Who are you working with, and who is behind the Hero? How did he even become the Hero in the first place!?" Aurelia floated there, head cocked slightly as if listening to someone else.

"I have a proposition, Lady Miflin, a sort of cooperation, if you are willing." Now they wanted to rope me in? Why now? What the hell were they planning to do?

"I'm listening."

"Very well, I would divulge the information you require in exchange for your assistance in helping Elias achieve success, something you were already set upon doing even without external input."

"Is this the same deal you proposed to Vix O'Ran?"

"Actually, he tried to reach us for an accord, but Disciple O'Ran wasn't up to the task, so we had to decline. You, my Lady, on the other hand, are actually perfect for teaching him." Of course that buffoon is not fit for teaching him. Lord of Aurei… what a joke.

"I will do as I see fit with him, regardless of your plans, now tell me who is behind all of this and why I should even accept this proposition of yours and not point him against you just out of spite." Aurelia had that smirk again. This wasn't good. What did she know that made her so confident?

"As you wish, Lady Miflin, you must understand, the being behind all of this is an ancestor of the Hero… I'm sure you're familiar with him." She paused, adding a layer of runes on top of my own protections, creating a bubble of magic that made it nearly impossible to be scried upon.

"So? Who is it that warrants so much caution?"

"The Anachronism." I froze.

"The Anachronism… you mean to tell me that Maelinor the Anachronism is the one behind all of this?"

"Indeed." Fuck. ──────────── I woke up tangled with Rhea, we had another wild night, this time in my new manor, the bed way better than the one in her tent-cabin. This novel's true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. I took a moment to organize my thoughts. Today I would have to deal with the group, organize everything, empower the vanguard, and train with Miflin. Not only that, I would have to somehow gain the location of the third King.

It was still early morning, I had time, but I felt restless, my curse was in the process of starting up again, so after a quick use of my ring to clean myself of the night's activities, I got dressed and left a note for Rhea to come and find me at the shop if I wasn't around when she woke up. I gave her a kiss before exiting the room and made my way downstairs. I checked quickly on my eggs and ate breakfast.

In my case, I started my day with a good dose of blood honey and a chunk of crystal, it was actually delicious, and brought me another little enhancement to my stats. Actually, I still had to open my notifications and trigger anything I had gained since the other day. I left my manor and closed the door, but with a mental input I left it actually there, I didn't want to imprison Rhea by mistake. Actually, it would be a great way of kidnapping someone…

Anyway, after the small rush as my constitution increased, I checked upon my aura, it was stable and under control. It felt amazing not to have to rein it in every single moment and fight just to exist beside the others, it was more taxing on the mind than I had realized, despite my high stats and skills helping me deal with that. Well, the curse didn't help either… I took a breath, preparing myself, then triggered the notifications and oh boy.

──────────── [Achievement Earned: First Kraghslayer] Requirement: Become the first human to slay a member of the Kraghs, a sapient race of mineral humanoids. Description: You are the first to shatter the stone. Where no history of conflict existed, you have written the opening strike in blood and rubble alike. The System records you as the first harbinger of violence against the Kraghs.

Rewards: • +10% to all stats • +15% armor penetration against stone-bodied enemies • Physical attacks gain minor bonus damage against constructs and earthen creatures • Every Kragh instinctively recognizes you as the first human to slay one of their kind upon sight [Achievement Earned: Soul Delver] Requirement: Make direct contact with your own soul through perception, will, magic, or spiritual interference. Description: To touch one's own soul is to stand before the naked truth of self.

Few possess the will to endure that revelation. Fewer remain unchanged. The boundary between spirit and awareness has thinned for you forever. Rewards: • +15% to Willpower • Improved perception of aura and soul phenomena • Aura and soul-affecting abilities gain increased stability and control [Achievement Earned: Curse Denier] Requirement: Force a soul-bound curse to recede. Description: A soul-bound curse is meant to progress without retreat, burrowing ever deeper until broken or fulfilled.

You have compelled such an affliction to withdraw from ground it had already claimed, denying a fate once thought inevitable.

Rewards: • +10% resistance to curses • Increased control when manipulating active curse effects within yourself • Reduced progression speed of hostile curses affecting you Virulent Hex Lv21 – Level Up → Lv25 Reinforced Infusion Lv22 – Level Up → Lv25 Arcane Manipulation Lv43 – Level Up → Lv45 Curse Detonation Lv36 – Level Up → Lv41 Aural Manifestation Lv21 – Level Up → Lv27 Malignant Threshold Lv18 – Level Up → Lv23 Arcane Sense Lv48 – Level Up → Lv50 Veiled Marionette Lv10 – Level Up → Lv14 Curse Absorption Lv21 – Level Up → Lv25 Entropic Lance Lv31 – Level Up → Lv34 Feast on the Ruined Lv20 – Level Up → Lv25 Multiple skills ready for evolution.

──────────── Ding! What was that now? I was still riding the high of another stat bump, not as powerful as the one I got after the serpent, but this was actually enjoyable. Not only that, I had to thank Miflin for most of it, she helped me immensely, but why did the System recognize the achievement as my own? I can understand the Soul Delver one, but the others? I would have to ask her about it. I waited a minute to calm down, then opened the new notification.

──────────── [Achievement Earned: Exalted Will] Requirement: Reach 2, 500 Willpower Description: Your will has transcended another limit. Thought, fear, pain, and pressure falter before the force of your resolve. Where lesser minds bend, yours remains unshaken.

Rewards: • +30% to Willpower • +40% Resistance to Mental Effects • +40% effectiveness to all Willpower-derived effects • A portion of your Willpower is added to all magic resistances ──────────── Damn, that was a rush, much more than all the other stats, with the exception of Constitution, which now was the second highest, crazy. But I talked about stats with Alya on our return trip and I realized that despite having a ton of stats, like Vix said before, synergy was the name of the game.

Even with two thousand plus constitution, someone like Frederick with a fourth of that stat could easily show more tankiness than me, especially with a couple of good skills working in conjunction. In the end, despite my inflated stats, I remained a mage, even if a buff one. I wasn't as fast as Adrian, not as physically strong as Alya, especially after her latest round of improvements, I was a mage who specialized in curses and recently, aura. That didn't mean I didn't have my means of protecting myself.

Aural Manifestation derived from Arcane Barrier, it was extremely apt at defence, especially in conjunction with my aura trait and a couple of achievements I got. I decided to open up my status just to get a better sense of what I was working with.

──────────── Name: Elias Mercer Race: Human Class: Hexer Level: 25 Titles: Apex Slayer, Paragon of Potential, Baron Slayer, Untouchable, Defiance of Tiers (I, II), Elite Slayer (I, II, III, IV), Paragon of Growth, Profane Substitution, Overpowering Magic, Genesis of Damnation, Butcher (I, II), Forced Evolution, A Drop of Blood, Origin of Unity, Deviation of Sequence, Paragon of Ascension, Dreadful Gaze, Enhanced Being, Paragon of Supremacy, Viscount Slayer, Giant Slayer, Colossus Slayer, Profane Execution, Paragon of Transcendence, Perfected Being, First Kraghslayer, Soul Delver, Curse Denier, Exalted Will Stats: Vitality: 610 (1944) Constitution: 696 (2175) Endurance: 614 (1918) Strength: 504 (1575) Agility: 486 (1579) Dexterity: 421 (1368) Perception: 439 (1371) Charisma: 474 (1481) Wisdom: 516 (1644) Intelligence: 563 (1794) Willpower: 766 (2872) Free Stat Points: 0 Traits: Curse-Born Resilience, Cursed Aura, Arcane Shaping, Hexer's Touch, Unbound Arcana Skills: Arcane Sense Lv50, Arcane Manipulation Lv45, Entropic Lance Lv34, Curse Detonation Lv41, Curse Absorption Lv25, Reinforced Infusion Lv25, Passive Casting Lv25, Virulent Hex Lv25, Malignant Threshold Lv23, Feast on the Ruined Lv25, Veiled Marionette Lv14, Aural Manifestation Lv27, Accelerated Processing Lv10, Aura Tether Lv10, Piercing Eyes Lv10 Conditions: Curse of the False Saint Tutorial Points: 191649 Tokens: Skill Evolution Token, Trait Evolution Token, Class Evolution Token, Skill Insight Token, Attribute Evolution Token ──────────── Beautiful, and there was still so much potential to tap into, all my skill evolutions and the tokens…

not to mention the skills themselves, I had five more spots free and the ones already filled needed to be trained properly. Not to mention that I had to start training with Miflin today. I was in a merry mood, the new achievements gave me a nice boost and improved my curse resistance even more. This day really couldn't have started better.