"Thank you. Truly. For what you did back there."

Vanessa said, as she politely bowed.

"You really didn’t have to step in. That situation... I was planning to handle it myself. Even if the outcome wouldn’t have been good, the responsibility was mine to bear."

The boy nodded, as well.

Only then did Ruvian lift his gaze. His eyes caught theirs, steady, reading all the things showing on their faces.

Gratitude. Guilt. And fear shadowing both. And beneath it all, the confusion of people who couldn’t quite grasp why he, of all people, had interfered and provoked Julian.

’Well, I don’t mind them thanking me... but honestly, I didn’t do it for them, to be honest. I did it for my own selfish reasons.’

Ruvian sighed.

"Don’t apologise," he said, tone flat as ever.

"It was always going to come to this either way."

’Huh? What does he mean by that?’

Vanessa’s brows creased slightly, lips parting, her protest loading on her tongue. But Ruvian spared her the effort.

He cut her first.

"Also, I didn’t do it just for you—"

"...I did it for me. So go. It’s fine. I don’t like being in anyone’s debt." (+50PP)

His gaze slipped back to the empty glass at his elbow.

’Haa... I have been talking quite a lot. I’m feeling thirsty.’

Ruvian stared at his glass.

It’s empty.

’Damn it, I should’ve saved some.’

He slightly frowned.

Vanessa, who was still watching him, saw the small frown on his face.

’Is he irritated that we’re bothering him?’ Even while thinking that, she did not let her smile fall, keeping it polite and careful.

For some reason, she felt a bit afraid of him.

Well... who would not be?

This dark-haired person in front of her was not merely absurdly handsome, but also carried himself with an imposing air, enough to have already amassed a notorious record of provoking Class A scholars back-to-back!

She had already heard such rumors after the Class A and Class E joint session.

People whispered about him often, saying he was not right in the head...

That he was crazy!

Provoking Class A scholars for fun!

’So the rumour was right.’

’Then, I guess it would be wiser not to push him any further, and it’s better if I keep my distance from him from now on.’

And so, in the end, Vanessa did not insist, did not press him for answers he clearly had no intention of giving.

"I see. Then, we won’t bring it up again."

She simply lowered her head in a small, careful nod that was less a gesture of gratitude, and more of quiet agreement to leave things as they were.

Ruvian finally turned towards them and smiled.

With that, she turned, and walked away, while the boy nodded, before gluing to her side.

’But weird... why did he smell like a very nice guy then?’

*****

Later that night, after yet another series of grueling training sessions, Ruvian finally returned to his room.

There was little time remaining.

In just two days, he would have to leave the academy, and carry out his plan to strike the demon.

With not much thought, Ruvian inspected his [Runeheart].

==========

{}---『RUNEHEART』---{}

◇ Name: Ruvian Castelor

◇ Age: 17

◇ Spellcore: Tier 2

◇ Rank: Fourth-Class Magus

◇ Magic Affinity: None

◇ Relevance Tier: Stage II – Wandering Extra

◇ Plot Points: 23,200 (PPs)

◇ Current Arc: Arc 2 – Beneath the Banner of Enrollment

[Mana Resonance: (10/500)]

==[General Attributes]==

Strength: E- → E

Agility: E- → E

Endurance: E- → E

Vitality: E- → E

Perception: E → E+

==[Mage Attributes]==

Mana Control: E- → E

Casting Speed: E- → E

Magic Power: F+ → E-

Mental Strength: S

Mana Sensitivity: E → E+

Mana Essence: [375/375]

==========

==[Innate Blessings]==

- [Blessing of Indomitable Will]

==[Affinity Mastery]==

- [Pure Mana, Wind (Intermediate)]

- [Darkness (Basic)]

==========

’Hmm, I have been doing good so far. All of my stats increased, except for Mental Strength. The recent training helped a lot, and also thanks for the generous amount of potions Silvena gave me.’

’But... this is still not enough.’

’I need to reach around D-rank in all stats if I want to survive the next event.’

Ruvian still had half of the potions inside his storage ring.

But tomorrow, he could not push his body too much with training, because the next day he would already leave the academy.

His body also needed rest. So tomorrow, he only planned to focus on increasing his mana... nothing else.

’I really do not have many choices now.’

With that thought, he activated [Powerscaling].

[Your talent cap is B-]

[Therefore...]

===========

{From → To} {Cost PPs}

E- → E 450PP

E → E+ 650PP

E+ → D- 900PP

D- → D 1200PP

D → D+ 1600PP

D+ → C- 2150PP

Special Traits:

Mana Essence +50 each (300 PPs)

Mana Resonance +1 each (50 PPs)

Affinity Slot – Locked (50,000 PPs)

==========

He looked through the blue transparent sheet.

After a few minutes of calculation, he finally arrived at the answer he had been searching for.

"So... if I want to upgrade all my stats to D- Rank, I’ll need to spend 13,100 Plot Points," he quietly murmured.

"And... if I want to raise my Mana Essence from 375 to 1,025... that will cost around 3,900 PP," he added quietly, eyes narrowing slightly as the numbers aligned.

That made a total of 17,000 PP.

While he only had 23,200 PP.

Honestly, the price was outrageously, and absurdly high.

And yet, it did not deter him.

Because if he went to that event, the course of the story would shift even further, and eventually, the returns of [Plot Points] would match what he had invested.

Probably even more!

Ruvian let out a faint, sheepish chuckle.

"Well, holding back now would only guarantee regret later," he said softly, more to himself than anyone else.

"After all, I didn’t gather all these Plot Points from today’s chaos just to hesitate and never use it."

He lifted his gaze to the blue screen hovering before him, resolve settling firmly in his eyes. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

"Upgrade all my stats to D- Rank," he calmly said.

The blue grimoire flickered softly as lines of light and numbers shifted, recalculating the cost before settling into a clear summary.

[Stat Upgrade Summary]

[All Stats → D- Rank: 13,100 PP]

[Mana Essence (375 → 1,025): 3,900 PP]

[Total Cost: 17,000 PP]

[Remaining PP after upgrade: 6,200 PP]

[Proceed with the upgrade?]

[Confirm / Cancel]

The faint glow of the screen reflected in Ruvian’s eyes as he silently reviewed the numbers once more.

"Yes," he said firmly, his voice calm but decisive.

"Confirm."

Soon, the blue grimoire trembled. A faint ripple ran across the translucent pages before it fractured across the air.

Then it wrapped around his body.

The glow intensified, outlining his figure in soft blue brilliance.

Then, he could feel the warmth spreading from his chest outward, branching into every limb, every nerve, and every hidden pathway within him.

It was not a sudden transformation, but a gradual elevation.

Curling his fingers slowly, Ruvian tested the new sensation of power.

He could sense the difference clearly now.

The boundary between Rank E and Rank D was not dramatic to the eye, yet it was unmistakable to the body.

His senses felt slightly sharper.

His awareness expanded just a little further. Mana within him moved more willingly, responding smoothly.

Ruvian opened his eyes.

With this advancement, he could stand against any scholars from Class C.

He was no longer a Fourth-Class Magus.

Now, Ruvian had stepped into the realm of the....

──────── ✦ ────────

[Chapter 142: Third-Class Magus]

Plot Points= 6,200