No one speaks at first. They just stare at Jacob. The cavern is quiet except for breathing and the slow pull of Nimirea's water as she lets it fade. The ash from the destroyed Deep Shadom Mimics' bodies still hangs in the air, settling slowly over the broken ground.

Orrivane presses a hand to his side. Iskara sits up with help, gold fading from her eyes. Lancelot looks from the ash to Jacob and back again.

Lancelot blinks a few times, his mouth opening and closing. "Did he just—" he starts, but the words don't come.

Nimirea wipes blood from her chin, still breathing hard. "He killed them," she says quietly. "All of them. Just like that."

Orrivane shakes his head, his tone sharp but uncertain. "No. That shouldn't be possible. I saw it. They just… vanished. Their cores dissolved."

Iskara looks at Jacob for a long moment. "That Skill," she says, her voice low. "What did you do?"

"I leveled it up," Jacob says. "As I said, it was too weak to affect these Elite Monsters. Apparently, whatever threshold the Skill had, it wasn't enough. Their protection to my Skill was even stronger than Azrakel's."

Iskara nods slowly.

The others fall silent again. The dust finishes settling, covering the cavern floor in a thin gray film.

The shadows seem to have completely receded and the cavern is now illuminated by the Light Skill that Jacob's just cast.

* * *

They leave the Dungeon not long after. No one argues about it. Their wounds are deep, their Mana is low, and their thoughts are scattered. The air outside feels colder than before, the light harsher.

At their camp, no one talks for a while. Orrivane sits by the fire with his arm wrapped tight. Nimirea cleans her hands again and again, as if trying to wash away what she saw. Lancelot stares at the flames, still pale.

Iskara looks at Jacob across the fire.

It shouldn't have been possible, she keeps thinking. Why does he always have the right solution for the right moment? What kind of insane power is this? Did my eyes play me? Are we going all insane? How's Jacob doing this?

Iskara keeps watching Jacob from across the fire. He looks calm, his expression unreadable as always. She thinks about her parents, about the endless lessons on duty and obedience. None of that mattered today. All their rules, all their talk about honor and bloodlines—none of it saved them. Jacob did. He said he needed ten minutes, and he won.

It was not luck nor coincidence.

Every time, he finds a way.

Every time, he delivers.

Her parents want her to spy on him, to tell them about his secrets, to ruin his future in case he got too many Skills—in case he got something too valuable.

But she knows better now.

Jacob is the winning bet.

For once, it's not even about siding with him because he's a fellow Champion or an ally. This isn't some weird kind of sentimental choice—not at all.

Jacob is the key to her people rising again, to her own power, to her own freedom.

And this time, she doesn't care what her family thinks. She's tired of their games and their endless caution. She wants to win, and he's the one who will lead her there.

She decides, quietly but completely. She'll follow him—whatever the cost, whatever it takes.

One doesn't get lucky so many times in a row.

Whatever Karmic fate he's destined for, that's where the real magic is going to happen. No more politics. If I have to die for it while trying to become the greatest—I will.

* * *

Name: Jacob Cloud

Class: Infernal Architect – Lv. 194 → 200

Core Skills:

Hellbane's Sword – Lv. 100 (Platinum – Offensive)

Flame Slash – Lv. 100 (Gold – Offensive)

Flame Shield – Lv. 100 (Gold – Defensive)

Flame Armor – Lv. 100 (Gold – Defensive)

Infernal Veins – Lv. 100 (Platinum – Constitution)

The Grimoire Extraordinaire (Rainbow – Support)

Class Skills:

Furnace Core (Passive) – Lv. 100

Flameform Blueprint (Active) – Lv. 100

Infernal Thread (Passive) – Lv. 100

Ember Keystone (Active) – Lv. 68 → 79

Architect's Insight (Passive) – Lv. 100

Hellspire (Active) – Lv. 100

Ignition Array (Active) – Lv. 79 → 91

Attributes:

Strength (STR): 369 → 375

Dexterity (DEX): 500 → 512

Endurance (END): 267 → 273

Vitality (VIT): 500 → 512

Intelligence (INT): 1000 → 1024

Spirit (SPI): 1000 → 1024

Wisdom (WIS): 701 → 719

Charisma (CHA): 18 → 18

Luck (LCK): 10 → 10

Unassigned Points: +30 Free Attributes

Other Skills:

Minor Cookery – Lv. 34 (Iron)

Greater Night Vision – Lv. 100 (Gold)

Light – Lv. 79 → 90 (Bronze)

Expert Pickaxe Mastery – Lv. 100 (Platinum)

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Greater Mineral Sense – Lv. 100 (Platinum)

Mana Well – Lv. 100 (Gold)

Vibrational Hyperawareness – Lv. 100 (Platinum)

Heavenly Intuition – Lv. 100 (Platinum)

Platinum Grip – Lv. 88 → 94 (Platinum)

Expert Endurance – Lv. 100 (Platinum)

Expert Strength – Lv. 90 → 94 (Platinum)

Infernal Wings of Ash – Lv. 100 (Gold)

Web of Withering – Lv. 100 (Gold)

Dark Blade – Lv. 94 → 100 (Gold) [Waiting for Evolution]

Diavolo Draw – Lv. 91 → 94 (Gold)

Black Flame – Lv. 44 → 53 (Fusion Skill – Platinum)

Blood of the Ancients – Lv. 79 → 86 (Platinum)

Tribulation of the Damned – Lv. 44 → 53 (Platinum)

First Step of Mephistus – Lv. 39 → 47 (Platinum)

Sigil of Baal – Lv. 34 → 43 (Platinum)

Hellish Reversal – Lv. 20 → 53 (Diamond)

Greater Fire Resistance – Lv. 100 (Platinum)

Shard Dominion – Lv. 100 (Platinum)

Greater Striking Rhythm – Lv. 100 (Platinum)

Quake Balance – Lv. 100 (Gold)

Greater Fault Line Instinct – Lv. 100 (Platinum)

Even with [Heavenly Intuition], I cut it too close this time. The Skill gave me the insight I needed, but not the time. Leveling up [Hellish Reversal] inside the Dungeon was reckless. If I had failed to raise it before the Mimics hit, we'd all be dead. That's the truth. I could feel the Skill barely responding when I cast it, like it was hanging by a thread.

I can't keep gambling like this. My Skills are strong, but I'm spreading myself too thin. Every time I learn something new, something else falls behind. I know I've advanced faster than most, but it's not enough. It's never enough. The enemies keep scaling, and I can't rely on improvising every time.

[Dark Blade has reached its evolutionary threshold.]

[Evolve into: Shadow Blade (Diamond – Offensive)?]

[Level 1 Effect: Inflicts Shadow Poison upon impact.

Shadow Poison increases the Mana consumption of affected targets by 5% per stack, up to a maximum of 25%.

Duration: 20 seconds.]

I stare at it for a few seconds. It's a clear step forward—finally a proper affliction Skill, something that can wear enemies down.

Inside my soul, King Baalrek speaks first.

Take it, Jacob Cloud. This is what you need for your Affliction Specialist Class. It's the right kind of Skill. And once you merge it with [Hellbane's Sword], it'll make the resulting weapon far more dangerous.

More Skills to level up, I complain.

You have the ONE Rainbow Skill that is perfect for that. Stop complaining.

"Fine," I mutter. "It's just a lot, you know? Now, let's evolve it."

I summon the Dark Blade and stare at it while accepting the notification's prompt.

The blade in my hand darkens until it turns completely black. The edge shifts color, swallowing the light instead of reflecting it. I feel the change spreading through my Mana circuits, sharper, heavier, harder to control but stronger.

[Dark Blade → Shadow Blade (Platinum – Offensive)]

I look at everyone still nursing their wounds and resting.

Let's see how much progress I can make before entering the Dungeon again.

Name: Jacob Cloud

Class: Infernal Architect – Lv. 200

Core Skills:

Hellbane's Sword – Lv. 100 (Platinum – Offensive)

Flame Slash – Lv. 100 (Gold – Offensive)

Flame Shield – Lv. 100 (Gold – Defensive)

Flame Armor – Lv. 100 (Gold – Defensive)

Infernal Veins – Lv. 100 (Platinum – Constitution)

The Grimoire Extraordinaire (Rainbow – Support)

Class Skills:

Furnace Core (Passive) – Lv. 100

Flameform Blueprint (Active) – Lv. 100

Infernal Thread (Passive) – Lv. 100

Ember Keystone (Active) – Lv. 68 → 79

Architect's Insight (Passive) – Lv. 100

Hellspire (Active) – Lv. 100

Ignition Array (Active) – Lv. 79 → 91

Attributes:

Strength (STR): 375

Dexterity (DEX): 512

Endurance (END): 273

Vitality (VIT): 512

Intelligence (INT): 1024

Spirit (SPI): 1024

Wisdom (WIS): 719

Charisma (CHA): 18

Luck (LCK): 10

Unassigned Points: +30 Free Attributes

Other Skills:

Minor Cookery – Lv. 34 (Iron)

Greater Night Vision – Lv. 100 (Gold)

Light – Lv. 90 → 100 (Bronze)

Expert Pickaxe Mastery – Lv. 100 (Platinum)

Greater Mineral Sense – Lv. 100 (Platinum)

Mana Well – Lv. 100 (Gold)

Vibrational Hyperawareness – Lv. 100 (Platinum)

Heavenly Intuition – Lv. 100 (Platinum)

Platinum Grip – Lv. 94 → 100 (Platinum)

Expert Endurance – Lv. 100 (Platinum)

Expert Strength – Lv. 94 → 100 (Platinum)

Infernal Wings of Ash – Lv. 100 (Gold)

Web of Withering – Lv. 100 (Gold)

Shadow Blade – Lv. 1 → 76 (Platinum)

Diavolo Draw – Lv. 94 → 100 (Gold)

Black Flame – Lv. 53 → 83 (Fusion Skill – Platinum)

Blood of the Ancients – Lv. 86 → 100 (Platinum)

Tribulation of the Damned – Lv. 53 → 100 (Platinum)

First Step of Mephistus – Lv. 47 → 77 (Platinum)

Sigil of Baal – Lv. 43 → 75 (Platinum)

Hellish Reversal – Lv. 53 → 80 (Diamond)

Greater Fire Resistance – Lv. 100 (Platinum)

Shard Dominion – Lv. 100 (Platinum)

Greater Striking Rhythm – Lv. 100 (Platinum)

Quake Balance – Lv. 100 (Gold)

Greater Fault Line Instinct – Lv. 100 (Platinum)

It took three days for Nimirea and Orrivane to heal their wounds.

And so I went together with Iskara in order to clean up the rest of the monsters. Thanks to Hellish Reversal I could kill all the Deep Shadow Mimics without any trouble.

There is no more advancing in Class Level for now. I've reached the maximum that I can do with my Gold Rank Class.

Now, all that is left to do is to learn the remaining Skills, max them out and then finally evolve Infernal Architect into a Platinum Ranked Class.

Now, there's only the Boss Room left.

As we walk toward the last room, the conversation that I had been expecting for a while finally happens.

"So," he says, "we've all seen each other's Rainbow Skills now. Might as well admit it officially."

Nimirea shrugs.

"There's nothing to admit. Everyone saw mine fill half the cavern. 'Devouring Ocean Eating the Heavens' isn't exactly subtle as far as Skill names go."

"It fits your character," Iskara says with a raised eyebrow.

"Excuse me?" Nimirea narrows her eyes.

"Let's not get distracted. We should share the details in case we need to use them. Also, Nimirea, you're at Champion level. We should petition the Headmaster for you to join us."

Nimirea shakes her head.

"That's bad Karma. You guys are the Generation of Legends. I have my own battle to take care of. We might still end up fighting together, but who knows, let's see what happens. This is just the first year of the Academy and I'm already behind on coursework."

"True," Orrivane deflates.

"As far as my Skill goes. Devouring Ocean Eating the Heavens saps enemies of their Mana as long as the water is touching them. The rate depletes roughly 10% of Mana each minute, relative to the total. It's a fixed percentage, meaning in ten minutes, I would deplete anybody's reserves."

"That's…" Orrivane's eyes go wide. "Now I see why you have such expensive Skills. You built your Class around your Rainbow Skill."

"Who hasn't?" Nimirea frowns and looks at Iskara.

"Jacob and Orrivane already know my Skill. I can stack as many buffs as I can control with no side effects," Iskara says. "And yes, I've built my Class around my Rainbow Skill."

"I couldn't," Orrivane frowns. "My family… let's just say I couldn't. But Event Horizon is an absolute barrier that swallows everything. Hard to pair it with something."

"I could get ideas for you," I say. "It's actually interesting to think about something like that."

"No," Orrivane says, "you shouldn't worry about that. You should, instead, tell us what your Rainbow Skill is."

"Huh?" I look innocently around. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"You leveled up a what, Diamond Skill you said? In… ten minutes? How many levels was that?"

"Huh?" I play dumb. "What? Sorry, I couldn't hear."

"It's clear that your Skill helps you level up other Skills. Now, that excludes Offensive and Defensive Skills. So, either Support or Constitution. What is it?"

"No idea what you're talking about," I repeat.

They all stare at me.

"Listen, if, allegedly, I had a Rainbow Skill, I still would rather not reveal it. It's dangerous because let's say a Cultist manages to get that information out of you. It's always better to be careful. And that's if I have a Rainbow Skill."

"You're such a bore," Nimirea tches.

"Well, you're not. Your Rainbow Skill is the most fascinating I've seen so far. It has several conditions: touch, Mana capacity, and, I suppose, how fast you can discharge the Mana, but it's the most fascinating Skill."

"Oh, is it, now?" Iskara says, looking narrowly at me.

"Yeah?" I frown. "I mean, yours is cool too, of course."

"Oh, thank you so much," Iskara's eyes flicker with Mana.

"What? Err, you're welcome?"

You should be studied. I've never seen such idiocy. Maybe you should start using the Grimoire on your social skills. Try and see if it works. It might save your life in the future.

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