Paragon of Skills

Chapter 281

Jacob taps his knuckles on the table as Lucas fills him in.

“The corruption has been spread through food, but mostly through herbs. If I had to guess, Delefagus wants to inject corruption and a link to Asmodeus into the bodies of all those who have consumed elixirs, potions, and pills made with contaminated materials. He might be able to use a ritual to activate those dormant particles and turn them into monsters.”

“I don’t suppose you have a timeline,” Jacob says, looking at Sir Lucas. “No. But if I had to guess, it’s not yet ready. I surveyed several other capitals, and there’s not enough Corruption spread yet.”

Sir Lucas sees Jacob frowning.

“What do you think?”

Camelia, who has met Jacob as ‘Delilah,’ by the side, is surprised by how much consideration her father is giving to Jacob. Her father is usually a very rough, aggressive man, especially with strangers, whether they belong to the Academy or not.

“You can’t leave the city,” Jacob says, looking for a moment around the room, picturing what has happened until now. “This guy killed the cultists but not you? That means this is a trap. He wants you dead. Knowing you can appraise things and probably detect their corruption, it means that he saw through you, lured you here, possibly by killing the cultists, and now he’ll make a move to kill you.”

“What?!” Camelia says. “Are you sure?!”

Sir Lucas frowns but says nothing.

“It’s a guess,” Jacob says, “your father just said that the corruption is not nearly enough to start monsterifying everybody here. So…”

Jacob takes out some of the remaining pure Platinum he got from the very first Rafnov’s Trial he undertook. Then, he starts chanting in a low voice, leaving both father and daughter at a loss at his actions.

Once he’s done, the piece of pure platinum ore has an iridescent quality to it.

“Sir Lucas, do you have any corrupted herb here?”

The man nods.

“Would you mind placing it on top of this?” Jacob moves the piece of platinum ore to the center of the table.

Sir Lucas takes out a root that looks completely normal at first sight but, as soon as he places it on the piece of ore, it starts emitting black smoke.

“The corruption just evaporated…” Sir Lucas says with wide eyes.

“Well, at least I know it works. This platinum has perfect purity. I have quite a bit on me. I will inscribe it with Runes that will draw ambient Mana and trigger a Primordial Spell to destroy corruption. You might not know it, but corruption is actually a very, very weak force unless it turns someone into a full-monster, in which case… it’s impossible for me, as I am right now, to purify it from them.”

Sir Lucas’s eyes go wide, “wait, you intend to—“

“You can’t leave the city, but your daughter can. And she’s a True Diamond Rank. She’ll go around all the affected capitals and drop this in their wells and sources of water. This way, the population will be purged from corruption in less than a month, completely foiling the Dark Champion’s plans.”

“I can’t leave my father!” Camelia says. “If what you said is true, then—“

“Then, there’s nothing you can do. And don’t worry,” Jacob says, taking out a communication stone from his Interspatial Ring. “Delefagus can’t be at Imperium Rank, which means he’s probably getting reinforcements to kill your father. But, I can call on reinforcements myself.”

Then, Jacob suddenly thinks of something.

“I have another question.”

Behind a now-reinforced door at the Sleeping Goose Inn, Lancelot looks at his friend at a loss for words.

“That’s the plan?” The man asks. “Boss, I—“

“I have been following your training every day, Lancelot,” Jacob says and nods. “This is the least I can do. As we ascend to higher and higher levels, Skill Crystals become obscenely expensive and the direct supply of them is a much harsher problem to solve than anything else. You’ve reached Advanced Diamond Rank in level, no?”

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Lancelot nods cautiously, he has not spent one day without sneaking into Dungeons to increase his Levels, knowing that Jacob counts on him.

“Still,” Lancelot eyes the large Skill Crystal in Jacob’s hands. “An Imperium Rank Skill Crystal? How did you afford that?”

“Bartered before leaving the Academy and took a tiny bit of debt,” Jacob replies, looking at his Squire. “And you need to start building the foundation for your ascent to True Diamond, Lancelot. This…”

Jacob passes the Skill Crystal to him, which Lancelot takes with trembling hands. This Skill Crystal definitely cost way more than whatever money they have, even after all the bets that Lancelot collected against Master Brendev.

“This is a Dragonkin’s Skill Crystal. It’s going to influence not just your next Class, but also your Constitution.”

Lancelot takes a look at it.

[Heir of the Sun (Constitution Skill - Imperium)]

“I know that looking at a Constitution Skill might confuse you,” Jacob says, “but this will absorb a lot of the Skills you already have. Dragons who chose this Skill would then evolve into Sun Dragons, creatures that can call forth the power of the sun. And, once you master it, its power is going to be so great it will essentially replace a Movement, Offensive, and Defensive Skill altogether.”

Lancelot has heard of such Skills and cannot believe his ears.

“Wait, is this a Complete Skill?” Lancelot’s eyes bulge.

Jacob doesn’t reply. He just smiles.

“Boss,” Lancelot looks horrified at the Skill. “This is… no. I cannot accept it. How valuable is this thing?! And how did you get it?!”

“Barter,” Jacob smiles.

Several weeks prior

King Skaernex looks at his father, the Headmaster, and then at Jacob Cloud, who called upon the gold-spectacled man to act as the mediator.

They are currently in the study of his father, trying to close a deal.

“You can’t bully a student, Skaernex. Be fair.”

King Skaernex has approached Jacob Cloud for a very simple reason: to acquire Dance of the Dragons. Well, whatever version Jacob Cloud made, at least. After seeing the terrifying power that Vyrrak was able to unleash on the Dragonkin Dark Champion, King Skaernex had started salivating at the sole thought of getting the Skill for himself and his people.

“Father,” King Skaernex says, “I prepared this Skill for Vyrrak. It cost me—“

“Vyrrak won’t be able to use Heir of the Sun. He is not going down a body-reinforcement, all-out Breaker style like you want him to. If he learned such a Skill, it would be either completely useless to him or even detrimental to his growth. You are not a fool; therefore, don’t act like one.”

I don’t understand why that bastard son of mine will refuse to tell me how to develop the Skill! King Skaernex laments, staring daggers at the innocent look on Jacob Cloud’s face.

“Your Majesty,” Jacob says, “I imagine that if you trained special units with the technique you’re asking of me, you’d gain quite the advantage over the two other Great Races and an even larger deterrent against whatever power might threaten you. What I’m asking in return for a technique that bears no Rank is simply… a little Skill Crystal.”

If King Skaernex could die of rage, he would have already.

“A little Skill Crystal?!” The man fumes. “Jacob Cloud, don’t be coy with me! This Skill Crystal is more valuable than your own life! While finding the higher Rank versions is not impossible, finding the starting Imperium Skill Crystal is nigh-impossible! It grows under conditions that are almost impossible to fulfill! I have been holding onto this for five-hundred years! I have yet to see one other copy of this damn Skill Crystal since then!”

“Your Majesty, let me tell you, you don’t look a day over two hundred years old,” Jacob smiles.

The Headmaster has to rein in a snort while King Skaernex narrows his eyes at him.

“I wish my ancestors had wiped out yours when they had the chance,” King Skaernex’s blood boils over. “I wish I could do it myself.”

“Skaernex,” the Headmaster sighs. “I don’t have all day. I have a few other matters to attend to. So, what will it be? Are you willing to accept the deal or not?”

Skaernex looks at the Heir of the Sun Skill Crystal, a complete Skill, one that he himself learned and mastered before evolving it. An impossibly complex Skill that creates unparalleled power for anyone of draconic descent. It has no price. It can’t be bought. And if it did, King Skaernex would require a price that would have bankrupted Kingdoms such as the one Jacob Cloud’s family comes from.

“Rotten carcasses of the ancestors,” Skaernex mutters under his breath. “I accept the deal.”

Jacob looks at Lancelot absorbing the Skill and looking at the empty air, dazed, probably receiving instructions on how to use it.

It’s better that I don’t tell him. The fact that he was blessed with a Draconic constitution already makes him an eyesore for Dragonkins. If I told King Skaernex I planned to use it on a human, he might have turned me into ash on the spot.

Another thing that Jacob doesn’t want to tell Lancelot is that he’s counting on him to be the centerpiece to this whole hunt for the Dark Champion.