The Extra's Rise-Chapter 115: Nimran (10)

The streets of Nimran felt alive, even at this late hour. The futuristic city’s temperature-controlled systems kept the air crisp but comfortable, the streets devoid of the biting cold I had expected outside the city. Neon lights reflected off polished walkways, and the soft hum of mana-powered vehicles added an odd tranquility to the bustling cityscape. People moved about, oblivious to the monumental thing I had just accomplished—or the greater challenge I was about to undertake.

With the Basilisk Heart secure in my spatial ring, I made my way back to the man I’d paid to hold my phone. He was sitting by a corner stall, sipping on a steaming cup of something fragrant. "Back already?" he asked, raising an eyebrow as I handed him another stack of notes. He didn’t ask questions. Good.

Once I had my phone back, I activated location sharing for the professors, stifling a wry grin. I’d been off the radar long enough. I glanced around the streets, ensuring no one was watching, before heading back to the mansion.

The moment I reached my room, I closed the door and leaned against it, letting out a deep breath. The Basilisk Heart pulsed faintly within my spatial ring, as though alive and waiting for its purpose. My hands twitched with anticipation. This was it—the next step.

I sat cross-legged on the soft carpet, the room illuminated only by the faint glow of a mana-powered lamp. The heart felt heavy in my ring, but my thoughts were already elsewhere. The Black Star. I had everything I needed—knowledge, guidance, and now, the enlightenment the Heart had given me.

"Luna," I said aloud, my voice cutting through the stillness. "Let’s do this."

Her voice resonated in my mind, calm and unwavering. ’You’re prepared now, Arthur. You’ve been waiting for this moment. Activate Lucent Harmony and let’s begin.’

Closing my eyes, I drew in a deep breath and focused inward. A familiar, radiant surge spread through my body as Lucent Harmony activated, filling me with its unique resonance. All eleven elements of mana swirled within me, a symphony of power. But tonight, only one mattered—dark mana.

I reached for it, the dark currents within me rippling to life, powerful and demanding. But where once it had felt like a storm, wild and unpredictable, now it was an extension of me. The epiphany I had gained from the Basilisk Heart’s test sharpened my control to a level I had never experienced before.

’Compress it,’ Luna instructed, her voice firm. ’Shape it into a singularity. Let it spiral inward.’

I obeyed, guiding the dark mana as it coiled tighter and tighter, denser with each passing moment. It resisted, but I didn’t fight it—I coaxed it, molding it with precision and patience. My breathing slowed, my focus narrowing to that single point of energy as it began to take shape: a tiny, pulsating star, dark and violet, forming in the depths of my mind.

The room seemed to dim, as though the Black Star was consuming the light itself. Sweat beaded on my forehead, and my hands clenched into fists. It wasn’t just power—it was alive, demanding, almost defiant.

’Sever it,’ Luna said. ’Now.’

I hesitated, the enormity of the task sinking in. Severing it from my mana circuits wasn’t like cutting a string—it was more like detaching a living, breathing part of myself. Gritting my teeth, I visualized the connections, carefully slicing through them one by one. Each cut sent a jolt through my body, but I pressed on, steady and unyielding.

Finally, with one last severance, the Black Star floated free. I gasped as it hovered within me, independent yet dormant. Its power no longer coursed through my circuits, but it was there, waiting.

’Now, the bridge,’ Luna said, her tone lighter. ’It will only connect when Lucent Harmony activates.’

With trembling hands, I extended a thin thread of mana, linking the Black Star to my circuits. It was delicate work, requiring absolute precision. The bridge snapped into place, and I felt the Black Star settle—a part of me, yet separate.

Opening my eyes, I stared at the dim room around me, my chest heaving. The Black Star was mine. A grin tugged at my lips, unbidden and unstoppable. I had done it.

Luna’s innovation truly was a marvel.

The Black Star, now neatly humming within me, existed as an independent entity—disconnected from my body when Lucent Harmony wasn’t active yet capable of sustaining itself without fading into nothingness. A feat that should’ve been impossible, yet there it was, pulsing faintly like a distant celestial body in the vastness of space. It wasn’t just ingenuity—it was elegance. Luna had figured out a way to bypass my lack of innate dark mana affinity entirely.

’Luna, you really outdid yourself,’ I thought, half in awe, half with a lingering ache of exhaustion.

’Naturally,’ she replied, her tone tinged with faint amusement. ’But you wouldn’t have managed without the Basilisk Heart. Its magic pushed you forward. Worthiness isn’t a simple matter—it forced your understanding to evolve beyond mere memorization.’

I frowned slightly, piecing it all together. The hours—no, weeks—I’d spent poring over books and theories about dark mana, carefully studying necromantic processes, and practicing rudimentary dark spells... it had all felt like staring at an impossible puzzle. I understood pieces of it, but most of it had been abstract—a sea of knowledge I was swimming in without quite knowing how to swim.

But now?

The epiphany from the Basilisk Heart had been like sunlight breaking through storm clouds. Everything I had studied, memorized, and struggled to comprehend clicked into place with startling clarity. Dark mana wasn’t just power—it was an intricate language. It was nuance, subtlety, precision. And now, I spoke it fluently.

’Was that part of your plan?’ I asked Luna, curious.

’Yes,’ she admitted, her tone calm and measured. ’A Basilisk is a master of dark magic. Its essence carries the weight of centuries of mastery. If you proved yourself worthy, the Heart would grant you what you needed—not just power, but understanding. Combining that intuition with your existing knowledge makes you a far more capable dark mage now."’

I nodded slowly, letting her words settle. She was right. The theories and concepts I’d spent hours slogging through had transformed into something alive and comprehensible. They weren’t abstract shapes anymore—they were tools, levers to pull, gears to turn. My progress in Nimran had far surpassed my expectations. Not only had I secured the Basilisk Heart, the vital Life Source for my future Arch Lich, but I’d also forged the Black Star, gained the foundation for a White Star, and significantly improved my ability to wield dark mana.

I couldn’t help but grin slightly, the corner of my mouth quirking upward despite the exhaustion weighing down my body. This—this was the kind of progress that mattered. The kind that would let me stand toe-to-toe with the world’s strongest, with Lucifer, with every impossible challenge that awaited me.

But right now, my biggest challenge was staying upright.

I dragged myself to the bathroom, the faint hum of the Black Star a constant rhythm in my mind. The shower’s warm water washed away the grime and the remnants of magical exertion, leaving me feeling like a new person. By the time I collapsed onto the bed, the clean sheets cool against my skin, I felt like I could finally breathe.

This chapt𝓮r is updat𝒆d by ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom.

Sleep claimed me in an instant, pulling me into the void of much-needed rest.

When I awoke, it was well into the afternoon. Mythos Academy, ever hands-off despite our youth, didn’t particularly care how we spent our time as long as we fulfilled their expectations. With my practical evaluation complete, they had no reason to care that I’d slept through half the day.

Stretching lazily, I felt the reassuring pulse of the Black Star still within me, steady and unyielding. I had done it. Now, it was time to move forward.