There's no lie in what Asterion's just said.

My Mana is about to run out. Even though the strategies I'm using are effective and I'm delivering a lot of damage to the Stone Wolves, there are just too many for me to face alone. Even with Dark Lattice replenishing part of my reserves, it's far from enough. I would need way, way more Dark Lattice instances for me to be able to kill all of these monsters.

Cloud, it's time you actually get some teaching from me, King Baalrek says. We have been playing enough. I am your master and today, you'll receive the first lesson on how to fight.

* * *

"He's done for," Princess Iskara sighs. "He's recovering some Mana thanks to Dark Lattice, but his tank is clearly about to be emptied out completely."

"He has shown a sizable increase in power, at least," Asterion says, sounding impressed. "And I'm sure that while he won't be able to fully catch up anytime soon, this is yet another point in favor of him being the Guide. Zibrek?"

The Goblin girl is adjusting the lenses on her goggles, squinting hard at Jacob. "Wait, he's doing something. I don't know what, though."

* * *

Channel more Mana through Dark Lattice after getting up in the air. Use your wings to put some distance between you and them. Their aggro won't change since you've been fighting for so long, leave them so space to get to you so that they won't fully lose interest.

I follow King Baalrek's orders and I lift up in the air, dodging the very high jumps of the Stone Wolves.

How much Mana do you want me to pour into Dark Lattice? I'm already low enough.

Squeeze all the power you can from your Infernal Veins and pour it into Dark Lattice.

Alright.

I don't fully understand what King Baalrek wants me to do, but I know that the Infernal Royal has sworn to help me and not try to kill me.

I start pouring more and more Mana into Dark Lattice when I hear more instructions.

Stop. I'm going to beam a diagram in your head. Change the paths of the veins. I forgot for a moment that you weren't taught this.

I see a diagram superimposed with a scheme of my body in my mind and I frown.

Aren't these the veins for Black Flame?

Similar, not the same. Shift it through the chest and heart, the rest of the veins are the same. Then, route it through your brain like this...

King Baalrek starts rattling off a bunch of instructions that I have a hard time to follow. If Professor Veythra's loop was complicated, this is ten times as hard. But then, as I try to circulate my Mana I feel a warm sensation spreading through my body.

Heavenly Intuition is doing its work. You're going to have a hard time resisting the pain, but you'll have to trust me on this. You finally have the Skill that you need in order to pull this off. But first things first, you have enough energy accumulated in the Infernal Manual of the Five Deadly Arts. Unlock the next two Skills.

I almost completely forgot about that.

I immediately visualize the diagrams of the Infernal Manual, whose name is apparently, if King Baalrek is to be believed, the Infernal Manual of the Five Deadly Arts and then I see that he's right. Three of the five diagrams are indeed filled up.

I press my focus on them and I hear a series of notifications.

[You have learned the second art of the Five Deadly Arts.]

[You have learned a new Skill - Tribulation of the Damned]

[Tribulation of the Damned (Platinum) - Any enemy that has been affected by a debuff or an entrapment Skill is suddenly struck with the Tribulation of the Damned. The damage scales with the amount and intensity of debuffs.]

[You have learned the third art of the Five Deadly Arts.]

[You have learned a new Skill - Faded Mephistophelean Footprint]

[Faded Mephistophelean Footprint (Platinum) - You have inherited an infinitesimal fragment of one of the greatest Infernals Mephistus's speed.]

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[Skill Synergy detected.]

[Flame Walk has been absorbed.]

[Faded Mephistophelean Footprint (Platinum) has turned into First Step of Mephistus (Platinum)]

[First Step of Mephistus (Platinum) - You have embarked on the journey of copying one of the greatest Movement Skills in existence. This is just the first step.]

I feel a rush of power in my body and I look with wide eyes at the Ranks.

They're both Platinum Skills!

They are, but now, start circulating Dark Lattice as I told you and throw it upon as many Stone Wolves as you can.

* * *

"He's trying to get his Mana back with Dark Lattice," Asterion comments. "I don't know the Skill that well, Iskara, but I don't think it's going to be enough, is it?"

Iskara shakes her head.

"It's not. Dark Lattice is a powerful Skill, but it has a hard limit of six instances."

They see Jacob summoning one after the other, thicker than before, but as soon as he reaches six, he starts screaming in pain. Then, a seventh manifests.

"Didn't you say the hard limit was six?" Zibrek frowns. "Wait, what's happening? His Mana is..."

"He's insane!" Iskara suddenly widens her eyes, finally understanding what Jacob is trying to do. "He's Overdriving the Skill!"

Asterion's mouth suddenly hangs open.

"How does he even know how to do that?!" Iskara trembles on the spot. "Dark Lattice's Overdriven Form is... he's trying to evolve it!"

Overdriving a Skill is an expression that indicates finding a better way to channel it through one's veins and forcefully shoving so much Mana through it that it gets completely rewritten. Once it gets rewritten, it becomes a new, more powerful version. It still maintains the same Rank, but it becomes much more powerful than before, which is a feat almost unheard of.

While it's not uncommon among the strongest representatives of the Three Great Races to attempt something like this, it was still extremely dangerous. It required not only an incredible talent and control over one's Skill, but also a Tutor with profound and esoteric knowledge. That meant that only the best of the best, when taught by the best of the best, could attempt to Overdrive a Skill. And even then, knowledge on which Skills could be Overdriven and the know-how were among the greatest secrets one could obtain.

Even the Royal Family of the Infernals barely had enough knowledge of a dozen Skills that could be evolved through this method.

And Dark Lattice isn't one of them.

"He's going to die! Dark Lattice is too powerful! It's based on Dark Mana!"

"Dark Mana is close to Void Mana in the circle of Affinities," Orrivane suddenly steps forward and gives his own opinion. "I don't think Jacob's body can take that at the moment, no? Do you guys know something that I don't?"

"Let's stop him," Zibrek frowns. "His Mana is going astray. His entire veins are about to be ripped apart."

* * *

KING BAALREK, IS IT SUPPOSED TO HURT THIS MUCH?! I can feel an insane amount of pain as I summon an eighth, and then a ninth lattice that covers one more Stone Wolf. I have to admit, though, I did not expect the Skill to become so much more powerful. Before King Baalrek's instructions, a Stone Wolf was still able to liberate itself after some struggling. Now, the tendrils are much thicker and cling to them like oil.

Yes, it's only going to get worse. Your veins are currently being destroyed. Well, the ones you're using.

OK WHEN DOES IT START WORKING THEN?!

Open your forearms.

WHAT?!

* * *

"What the hell is he doing?!" Kai finally says. Not even Kai Valemont, Jacob's older brother and number one fan, is able to stand by anymore. "Can someone do something?!"

"Wait," Princess Iskara frowns. "What the—"

She sees Jacob cutting open his forearms and bleeding profusely onto the ground.

"He's using Blood of the Ancients... Why? No one can control the Skill. It's just meant to be evolved through..."

* * *

"Is he finally dying?" Toran the Cultist, the giant brute, asks.

"No," Malrik frowns. Unlike Iskara, who only has a superficial knowledge of Blood Magic, Malrik has studied it his entire life. That's why he feels a terrifying power, a spell not even he would be capable of starting from the forearms of the kid shown in the Blood Mirrors.

"He's using Blood Magic. A tremendous amount of it. This is... beyond Royal knowledge. This is a Primordial Spell."

"A what?" Toran frowns.

"A spell created before all the races were created, when Dragons still roamed the world in packs and there was nothing but war between them, the Gods, and the Three Great Races. A time when our Lord still walked the earth freely."

"Who taught him that?" Toran frowns.

"I have no idea," Malrik says with reverence, "but trust me, I will find out. Let's go prepare the bait."

* * *

I've heard your Professor, that foolish woman, laugh at you when you requested Blood of the Ancients under my advice, King Baalrek sneers. They must think the spell is too complicated to be used properly. But they don't know that it was never meant to be used alone.

You haven't even told me what it does?! I cry in pain.

Blood of the Ancients is supposed to funnel mana and energy and turn it into vitality. The problem is that the rate of conversion is not great because blood magic and life don't go hand in hand, unlike what many think. It was never supposed to be used with your own mana and your body as a conduit. No, it was always supposed to be a Skill meant to give one enough vitality to survive the very ritual you're undergoing.

King Baalrek! I'm feeling like I'm dying! What else do I need to do?!

Channel every single drop of mana and vitality from Dark Lattice into Blood of the Ancients. Follow these veins...

King Baalrek shows me some veins and I barely have enough presence of mind to listen. Thankfully, I still manage to miraculously make it work and I suddenly feel my body being relieved of the immense pain.

Oh? Alright. I'm fine again. I can feel the damaged veins being knitted together. Good call.

Good. We have completed the first of four steps. Now do it again three more times.

WHAT.

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