Mc's POV

I was resting in a cave in the forest outside House Daelthorn estate.

After dealing with the Dusk Hand Clan, I was filthy rich. The kind of rich that made you forget how tired you were.

'Eliminating a future enemy really feels nice.'

I leaned against the wall, basking in the peace.

After a few moments, I stopped smiling and opened my system messages.

Class Assassin

Grade: Apprentice Assassin → Journeyman Assassin

+3 Strength, +3 Dexterity

Perk Gained: [Adrenal Silence]

Effect: In high-stress situations, heart rate and breathing remain controlled. Minor resistance to panic and illusion effects.

'The Class leveled up with just one assassination.'

That meant the System had recognized the kill as a high-quality assassination.

I had done the assassination careful for this.

'The new perk is good.'

Adrenal Silence.

It kept my heart rate and breathing under control during stressful moments.

That was quite useful.

Even the best assassins lost focus when adrenaline flooded their system.

Heart racing. Muscles twitching. Movements out of rhythm. These things that came with adrenaline rush were a problem.

This perk fixed that.

I could stay calm, steady, and focused.

The adrenaline would still flow, but without the mess it brought.

"Lord of Shadows, we should hurry. Today's the day you meet your teammates in Castle Donington, Leicestershire," Yuna said from the side.

She looked happy. Probably because the rescued children were safe.

"I'll go soon. But first, I need to raise my Mage Class grade."

I opened my inventory rune and took out piles of gold.

With what I stole from the Dusk Hand Clan, I had more than enough for my need.

I started chanting after drawing runes on the cave floor.

White wisps rose from the gold and floated around me.

I activated my Mana Breathing technique, letting the wisps enter my lungs and bloodstream.

Then I guided them toward my Mana Core.

There was resistance.

It always got harder to form a new Star as the grade went up.

I focused, keeping the flow smooth.

The pressure built, then slowly turned into a spark of light inside my core.

A new Star formed.

Class Mage

Rank 0 → Rank 1

Grade: 3-Star → 4-Star

+3 Intelligence, +5 Spirit

My Mage Class finally reached Rank 1.

It increased the grade up bonus from +3 Int, +3 Spirit to +3 Int, +5 Spirit.

After catching my breath, I took out more gold and set it on the ground, arranging it into runes.

"Lord of Shadows, wait!" Yuna floated closer, her voice sharp. "You can't rank up again so soon. Now that you are a 4-star Mage, the mana in your body is far more than before. Unlike last time where you ranked up multiple times in one go, you can't do this anymore.

"Your mana needs time to stabilize. If you rush, your foundation will crack."

"It'll be fine. My Stars are stable, and my Mana Control is good," I said, adjusting the catalyst.

"But—"

"I don't have time to hold back, Yuna. You know the mission I'm going on. It involves the Cursed Spirit responsible for the [First Disaster]. It's dangerous. I need to be as strong as possible before facing it."

She frowned, clearly not convinced, but didn't stop me.

Unlike her, I wasn't worried about damaging my foundation. Not from just one more breakthrough.

My Intelligence stat was already over 150, and the Mana Constellation Creation Technique I used made my Stars extremely stable.

I began the process again.

White wisps rose from the gold, and I inhaled them deeply.

They entered my blood, glowing faintly beneath my skin.

I guided them into my Mana Core, but this time the resistance was far greater.

My body trembled. Sweat rolled down my neck. My chest felt tight, but I kept my focus.

Minutes passed.

The cave air turned heavy.

Then, finally, the new Star ignited within me.

Class Mage

Grade: 4-Star → 5-Star

+3 Intelligence, +5 Spirit

I exhaled slowly and felt my mana flow expand like a calm tide.

My whole body felt lighter and stronger.

Thanks to my Mana Constellation Creation Technique, each Star held twice the normal amount of mana.

Now, my total mana pool was more than that of a 9-star Mage.

"Lord of Shadows, please stop here," Yuna said softly.

I nodded.

My body felt bloated, like a balloon filled too much with water.

'This is enough for now.'

I needed to let my mana stabilize for a few days before attempting the breakthrough to 6-star.

I wasn't worried, though.

Even though I was supposed to meet my team today, we wouldn't enter the Cursed Spirit's domain right away.

That gave me time to rest and increase my Mage Class grade again before we face the Cursed Spirit.

The only reason I pushed to 5-star Mage grade immediately was precaution.

Now that my strength was higher than a 9-star Mage, I could afford to slow down.

There was no need to damage the foundation.

After taking a short breath, I pulled out the materials I'd gathered for making space stones.

Void Shard Ore. Etherleaf Herb. Crystallized Mana Dust. Lunar Iron. Spectral Resin worth three thousand dollars. Cursed Spirit Blood, Rank 2.

I drew runes on the ground using fairy dust and placed each material on the symbols.

Then I cut my finger and let a few drops of blood fall on the items.

The blood of a space-element mage made this kind of alchemy easier.

"Yuna, enchant the materials," I said.

She nodded and moved her hand, whispering a few runic words.

A faint glow surrounded the items.

After that, I placed the catalyst—a double-sided pyramid—in the center of the rune circle.

It began to float slightly above the ground.

I started chanting.

"Vahrin sol aet'na, k'res tal Voruun.

"Ner'ath sil koruun, drae vel aet.

"Zae'lor en suun, vahr ethi nax.

"Kal'ven, Thaer vahl suum a'nek."

The air rippled as the ingredients fused together.

When the light faded, eight small space stones hovered above the circle.

Each one was shaped like a teardrop, faintly transparent, with a pale blue glow swirling inside.

I picked them up carefully.

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