Chapter 13
Lucas was deep in the forest, not far from the city.
The dense wilderness stretched so far that its end was nowhere in sight.
He stood in the heart of the woods, ready to test his skills.
With his mana field, he could sense everything within a hundred meters around him.
Removing his goggles, his already blue eyes ignited, resembling swirling spheres of blue cyan flames.
Over time, this had become instinctive to him.
Through his enhanced vision, he could see the flow of mana in the atmosphere, a sight incomprehensible to most.
His understanding of mana had grown deeper than ever before—something only a rare few could grasp.
Except for two great powerhouses, who stood as formidable threats, nearly as dangerous as the Great Sage himself.
These figures considered themselves gods, but Lucas constantly reminded himself that they weren't.
Sometimes, even he struggled with that belief, but he knew the downfall of those who came before was their arrogance—their delusion of divinity.
The leaders of the Abyssal Moon and the Lotus Clan forgotten elder these were challenges Lucas had to overcome before he could even think about facing the Great Sage.
But for now, those two figures were untouchable.
Still, a question lingered in his mind: Does the power to destroy mountains, cities, or even command the world's submission make one a god?
Truth be told, as long as someone lived within the mortal shell, could bleed, breathe, and exist in either the physical or spiritual realm, they were no god—just men overwhelmed by their arrogance.
And that arrogance played into Lucas's favor.
Remembering the spell, Lucas began to chant:
"Upon the stars, where silence weaves,
A boundless force no fate perceives.
Light and shadow, flame and frost,
All are mine, none are lost.
By the sun's wrath and the moon's grace,
I break all chains, I bend all space.
Let chaos rise, let stillness reign,
In my grasp, all shall wane.
O heavens, bear witness to my decree,
For I am the will of infinity."
With each verse, he combined intricate hand signs, causing the mana around him to shift unnaturally.
It suddenly burst outward in every direction before surging back, engulfing him in a fiery coat of mana.
This was Astral Mode.
The natural world responded to his power—plants grew at an incredible rate, and the mana in the air became purer and more concentrated.
Lucas could feel himself truly merging with it.
But it wasn't just mana.
He could sense something else—natural energy, soul essence.
The soul itself, a power beyond comprehension.
In that moment, he felt like the entire world was beneath him, as if he could do anything.
Yet, the cost was steep.
His mana drained at an overwhelming rate, and within five seconds, he was completely spent.
The mode vanished, yet one thing remained—his newfound ability to sense natural energy and souls.
Before he could process it, someone entered his mana field.
Moving with rapid precision, they reached his location in an instant, using the Quick Step technique.
Perched on a tree branch above, a boy with red, three-leaf clover eyes gazed down at him.
He was no ordinary figure.
He was Blake Motomato—the boy who, in the novel, had the potential to be overpowered but willingly allowed himself to be killed.
Blake had betrayed the Hidden Sky City for the sake of his younger brother's survival, joining the Abyssal Moon.
His younger brother, in turn, would one day wipe out their entire clan, blaming them for the coup d'état which had force his father—a coup that had forced Blake to kill him.
Despite his age, Blake was a prodigy unlike any other.
At just ten years old, he had awakened all three leaves of his clover and reached the rank of a four-star Elite, the same level as Lucas.
In the novel, it was said that had he continued to grow, his potential would have rivaled even the leader of the Abyssal Moon organization.
His voice, though slightly childish, carried a maturity beyond his years. "Was it you who caused that fluctuation in mana?"
Lucas wasn't sure whether to be proud or concerned about encountering such a major player.
He sighed and replied, "Yeah, just testing out a new spell."
Blake narrowed his eyes before nodding.
As his eyes returned to their natural black color, he spoke, "Oh, that was impressive. My name is Blake, by the way."
"Nice to meet you. I'm Lucas." He smiled before adding, "You must be the kid Austin told me about."
Blake's eyes widened slightly in surprise. "You know Austin, huh?"
Jumping from the tree, he landed gracefully on the ground. "Quite interesting."
Lucas watched as Blake began pacing in circles, scanning the area with a thoughtful look. "Your spell temporarily improved the quality of mana around here that's impressive. But… there's also a strange type of mana present."
Lucas frowned. "A strange type of mana?"
Blake nodded before explaining,
"Mana can take on different forms.
There's Clover Mana, which we use our ocular power to transform.
That's what happened here… but you don't seem like someone from an Ocular Power Clan."
Lucas's heart nearly stopped.
He silently cursed himself for being careless.
Blake merely smiled. "Everyone has their secrets, so I won't pry.
Anyway, I'll get back to my training.
It was nice meeting you, Lucas."
Lucas exhaled in relief. "Yeah, you too."
In the blink of an eye, Blake used Quick Step and disappeared as if he were never there.
Lucas sighed, looking around. "I need to find another location to test my spells and techniques."