Chapter 1056: A Noble Sacrifice


    ?


    "...Are you sure?" Though he understood where the two were getting from, Valyr could not help but feel like things were proceeding too quickly, considering that he''d only been a part of the Mystic ne for a bit over four days. "I don''t think I deserve to get this."


    "You do," replied Mystia, with Marcus nodding in agreement to her words. "Sure, you may have only been with us for a short amount of time so far, but as I''ve already mentioned earlier, you''ve already contributed a lot to the Mystic ne."


    "In fact, you''ve contributed more than me in some areas of the Mystic ne," she continued, even going so far to sacrifice a hint of her pride to show Valyr how serious she was.


    Seeing that the young man was now beginning to hesitate whether to ept the subss or not thanks to her words, Mystia decided to strike while the iron was hot. "Just ept it. It''ll help you immensely once I begin teaching you alchemy."


    Wanting nothing more than to furiously scratch the back of his head at this moment, Valyr suppressed his urges as he briefly took a calming breath.


    Then, going over the words that left Mystia''s mouth, he looked at the two and asked, "What kind of subss are you giving me exactly?"


    ncing at Marcus, Mystia nodded at him before answering the young man''s question. "It epasses pretty much everything I''ve said so far regarding alchemy."


    "It''s a subss that not only allows you to do more with less in the field of alchemy, but it also allows you to delve deeper in the style of alchemy I specialize in. The one that involves Mystic Energy."


    "The subss is called the Mystic Rune Alchemist, if that helps," said Marcus after Mystia was done, prompting thetter to briefly give the man a thumbs-up in response.


    Though he felt a hint of amusement at the interaction between the two, Valyr closed his eyes after the two were done exining, going over various things in his mind as the gears within began to turn.


    A minuteter, Valyr opened his eyes once more, faintly nodding as he looked at the two with a determined expression. "I''ve decided."


    At those words, the two looked back at him with anticipation, eager to hear the young man to make what they considered was the natural choice.


    Unfortunately for them...


    "I''ll have to pass."


    As these words left Valyr''s mouth, it took a while for the two to recover from their shock, with Mystia immediately persuading the young man to ept it the moment she snapped back to reality.


    "It''s a Growth-type subss, you know?" said Mystia, not bothering to hide important details anymore. "Sure, the subss starts off at Common grade, but it can go up to Mythic grade if you work on it for long enough!"


    Valyr paused in response to those words, the hesitation he''d buried earlier gradually resurfacing because of it.


    However, he remained steadfast, shaking his head as he inwardly let out a sigh.


    If he still didn''t have a subss after getting this far in his journey, then it went without saying that Valyr would''ve epted the offer in a heartbeat.


    Unfortunately for the two, not only did the young man get a subss early on in his path to power, but he''d also gone through many tribtions and trials to transform to what it currently was.


    Because of what he''d gone through, he now had a subss that contained far greater potential than the subss he initially hoped of getting, with the possibility of it reaching greater heights even bing visible if he were to polish what he currently had.


    "It''s not that I don''t like the subss," said Valyr to the two after a bit of silence. "To be honest, I really want to get it."


    Seeing as Mystia''s expression was asking him why he was stopping himself from epting it if that were the case, the young man let out a sigh.


    "However, the subss that I have today is a big reason why I could show this much strength at my current rank," Valyr told the two of them, his expression slightly bitter. "It''s the proof of my efforts."


    "...I see." Though Mystia still wanted the young man to ept the Mystic Rune Alchemist subss... at this point, she did not entertain such thoughts any longer.


    After all, she understood what the young man had gone through, considering that she''d gone through a simr journey in the past herself.


    With that, she decided that it was better to respect the young man''s decision and not be stubborn, even if the decision to give the subss in the first ce was to help improve Valyr''s strength even further.


    ''Then again, even if he doesn''t have the subss, the difference in output would only be marginal at best,'' thought Mystia to herself in a bid to calm her emotions down.


    However, Marcus seemed to have other ns in mind.


    "I think... I might have a way to solve this issue," said the man all of a sudden, prompting both Valyr and Mystia to look at him with curiosity.


    Seeing as he''d caught both of their attention in an instant, Marcus took some time to calm himself down before looking at Valyr. "Before I talk about it, let me just ask you something first, Valyr."


    "What is it?" Valyr raised his eyebrow.


    "Will you promise to help me return the Mystic ne to its former glory?" Hearing these words leave Marcus'' mouth, Valyr was slightly taken aback.


    Though, seeing the serious expression on the man''s face, the young man thought about the question for a bit before eventually nodding. "Well, I am the Mystic ne''s Guardian. It wouldn''t make sense for the one responsible for its defense to not help out."


    "Plus, I don''t really have a reason not to do it, especially after how I''ve already received far more than I''ve asked for," continued the young man, to which Marcus smiled with relief.


    "That assures me," Marcus told Valyr, only for his expression to be serious once more. "Frankly, the solution I have to your problem is a bit risky," said the man, causing both Mystia and Valyr to look back at him with concern.


    With that, he rified, "Specifically, it''s a bit risky for me, since I''d be temporarily sacrificing a bit of the strength I''ve regained for it."


    "Don''t worry too much," Marcus reassured the two soon after, understanding what was going on in their minds. "It''ll eventually return with enough time. It''s part of the reason why I decided to bring it up in the first ce."


    Deciding not to think about the consequences Marcus would have to bear in exchange for the meantime, Valyr took in a deep breath before asking the question that was both in his and


    Mystia''s minds.


    "So, what solution is it?"


    "Pretty simple, really," replied Marcus, the serious expression on his face gradually being reced with a confident smile. "Since you don''t want to rece the subss you currently


    have with the one we''re giving you..."


    "Why not just give you a space to put the subss in instead?"


    "Wait..." Hearing those wordse out of Marcus'' mouth, Valyr took a while to process what he''d obtained before responding back. "That''s possible?"


    "It is." Marcus nodded back in response, slightly amused with the shock that was prevalent on the young man''s face. "As far as I know, bestowing someone with a second subss slot is usually an ability only avable for the stronger middle concept nes."


    "But I have confidence that I''ll be able to emte this ability to a certain extent," continued the man, only for his smile to be crooked soon after. "Somewhat... I think. I hope so." "..." Seeing Marcus'' confidence fluctuate through so many levels so quickly, the shock on Valyr''s face gradually disappeared, slowly being reced with the look of doubt as he stared at the man in front of him. "Are you really sure you want to do it?"


    "On second thought... wouldn''t it be a better question to ask if you could do it in the first


    ce?"


    "...I wouldn''t have brought up the topic if I didn''t at least guarantee that I could make it possible in the first ce." At this point, Marcus began to slightly frown, which was only met with Valyr''sughter the moment those words left his mouth.


    In fact, even Mystia could not help but begin to find their conversation amusing, a faint


    snicker erupting at the edges of her lips as she thought about the back and forth that happened between them so far.


    "..." In the end, the man let out a low sigh before ring out his aura at his entirety, reminding both Mystia and Valyr that they were interacting with none other than the


    personification of the Mystic ne.


    Whoosh!


    Though, just as the man''s aura put a bit of pressure on the two, this pressure intensified by at


    least ten times all of a sudden, forcing both Mystia and Valyr to endure the pressure Marcus was giving off as the two reminded themselves what the man nned on doing. Fortunately, the sensation of being overwhelmed by the man did notst for long, with Marcus moving quickly during the limited time he was in an empowered state.


    Swoosh!


    Conjuring a bead of iridescent energy, Marcus did not hesitate to send it towards Valyr, whose body immediately epted it before he could even register the bead''s existence in the first


    ce.


    Ding!


    [You have obtained an additional subss slot.]