The Nightmare Wizard
Chapter 72: Knight Lvl 2

Chapter 72: Chapter 72: Knight Lvl 2

William held the Kraken’s heart, feeling its immense weight and the pure vitality vibrating from it. Angel’s words echoed in his mind, promising impressive growth. The sailors’ disbelief at the value of the talisman he’d used, and the fact that the Kraken’s heart—an incalculable treasure—was now in his possession, gave him a strange sense of power and fortune.

He moved away from the bustling sailors butchering the beast, seeking a quieter place to process everything that had happened. The deck was still a mess of splintered wood and blood, but the urgency of battle was over. He found a relatively intact corner near the railing, where moonlight filtered through scattered clouds.

"Angel," William thought, his mental voice filled with anticipation, "are you sure? Is devouring it the only way?"

"According to my analysis, yes," Angel replied, her tone now free from the tension of their severed connection. "It’s the most direct way to assimilate the concentrated vital energy. It will be an intense process, but the benefits will far outweigh any discomfort."

William hesitated for a moment. Devouring the heart of a colossal sea beast wasn’t an everyday occurrence. But the sight of Brannik bleeding out, Eldrin and Roderick’s treacherous attack, and the impending arrival at the academy—where threats would be even greater—spurred him to act. He needed every ounce of power he could get.

He took a deep breath, the salty air filling his lungs. With fierce determination, he brought the Kraken’s heart to his lips. The surface was cold and slightly rubbery, but the moment he touched it, a wave of icy energy coursed through his body. He bit, and the taste of salt and something indescribably ancient filled his mouth. He began to chew, feeling the flesh dissolve on his tongue, releasing an explosion of energy that spread through every fiber of his being.

The process was brutal. His muscles involuntarily contracted, a searing heat spread from his stomach, as if he were burning from within. His veins swelled, and a deafening hum filled his ears. He fell to his knees, clenching his teeth to suppress a scream. It was a different kind of pain than that from ambient mana, deeper, more organic, as if his very body was being rewritten at a cellular level.

"Hold on, William!" Angel’s voice was an anchor in the storm of sensations. "Your body is assimilating a massive amount of vitality. It’s a transformation. Don’t give up!"

William felt a primal urge to vomit, to expel the source of this torment, but he forced himself to resist. He visualized the energy flowing, healing, strengthening. The image of Lia, the promise to protect her, the rage against Eldrin and Roderick—all of it became fuel.

After what seemed like hours, the pain began to subside, leaving a feeling of fullness and power in its wake. He felt... different. Lighter, stronger, as if every cell in his body had been revitalized. He slowly rose, his muscles responding with an agility he had never experienced before.

"Angel," he thought, his mental voice clear and strong, "my stats. What happened? How much time passed?"

"Analyzing..." Angel replied. There was a brief pause. "Impressive, William! Your stats are now:"

Strength: 25

Dexterity: 25

Vitality: 25

"Your entire body has undergone a significant leap. Your Spiritual Power has also increased to 9.9, though to a lesser extent; something seems to have halted it, as if it can’t advance further. Overall, the assimilation seems to have been a great success. Plus, only 3 hours passed, so it was incredibly fast!"

William trembled with excitement, sensing his new abilities. He had managed to break through to Knight Level 2, and his spiritual power was on the verge of advancing to apprentice rank 2, an unprecedented achievement.

As he got used to his new strength, Lia approached. "I finally found you; I was worried." Being so focused on quickly consuming the heart to prevent anyone from plotting against him, William had forgotten that Lia was still alone in the cafeteria, which made him feel terrible about it.

"I’m sorry, I had some things to do," Lia said no more and simply sat beside him. The image of William with an unnaturally bent arm, leaping to rescue her, was still fresh in her mind, making her feel deeply grateful.

"Is your arm okay?" Letting Lia check his arm, William nodded with a smile, saying, "Just a small scratch, nothing to worry about. Instead, tell me, was everything alright after I left? I was worried someone might try something."

"Everything was fine, although they gave me nasty looks, they didn’t dare do anything. But I heard all the girls died during the attack. Only Kaela survived, but she seems very badly hurt. I don’t think it was from the attack; those animals must have done something to them... I know they turned their backs on you, but..." Lia didn’t finish her words, but William understood what she meant, so he said emotionlessly: "Don’t worry, I’ll investigate what happened, and if they had anything to do with this, I won’t let them get away with it. Let’s go see how they’re accommodating people; I also need to check if Dixon and the others are okay."

With William’s promise, Lia felt more at ease. Even though they had turned their backs on him, they were still her companions with whom she had spent an entire year, so she felt a little pity for their abrupt end. No matter how much she tried to see their corpses, she was only told that they had already been thrown into the sea to prevent infections, which was the normal process in such cases.

William walked with Lia to the lower part of the ship, and when he arrived, he could see the aftermath of the battle. The ship’s imposing hull was on the verge of splitting, and almost the entire training area looked like a pile of broken boards. The smell of blood was too intense, causing Lia to be unable to bear it and vomit over the side. William stood behind her, holding her hair and stroking her back to calm her. When she settled down, William told her, "Go back up; this place is too much. I’ll make sure Dixon and the others are okay and then I’ll find you."

Lia, with an awkward smile, apologized and returned to the upper deck of the ship while William shouted Dixon’s names, trying to find them.