The atmosphere got calm after the sudden boom and the pink flash of light inside this dark fog.

This fog-like darkness was a skill, a powerful one, and I knew aside from Rein, no one could see inside here.

They can't see, and that was for the best.

I didn't want them to see me coughing blood like this, and neither did I believe they would just stand still like that after seeing even a drop of blood on me.

But it can't be helped.

The headmaster was in his own world, remembering some past events that might have happened while learning from his master.

I didn't know this reaction would be this deep, it was my mistake to not consider this possibility.

But he was more than capable enough to come out of those trains of memories and emotions on his own very easily.

I knew he was deliberately not doing that fully knowing he was safe and nothing would happen to him and that 'I' would take care of the aftermath like this.

He just believed in me, and I had no problem with that one, but...

"You are an archmage, you bastard! At least wear clothes of (level-8) or more!

What were you even thinking wearing these mere (level-6) clothes?!

You have that much wealth, just use that shit tone of money!

I won't be around when something like this happens!! Ahem! Ahem!"

Coughing up some more blood and clearing my throat, I looked at the now sane headmaster on the ground, holding his stomach and coughing blood himself.

I knew that the last one had almost shaken his Mana core, and just the pain from that one punch was enough to kill any powerful person.

The whole energy system in his body was shaken by the contact of my punch and I didn't like using this thing even after being the to invent it.

N0v3lTr0ve served as the original host for this chapter's release on N0v3l-B1n.

It took not only an absurd amount of concentration, willpower, and total energy but also precise control over all the energies inside the body.

It put too much strain on my body and even after drinking two red potions; I was still feeling this pain throughout my entire body.

I did not want to use that technique, and I couldn't even use it against any being I see.

That one attack, just how much it damaged me was nothing compared to how it affected the one who received this blow.

If it were to be some beast of (Green) rank or below, they would just be obliterated as a whole and this whole place would be a pool of blood and insides.

But he wasn't an energy beast... even more horrifying.

If there was any normal [Rank-4] knight before me, they would have suffered the same fate from this attack.

But he was alive, back to his senses, coughing up blood with wide eyes and a cynical smile.

I don't even want to think about what kind of pain he might be feeling at this moment.

That one attack was meant to induce unreal pain to the opponent.. if they didn't die instantly.

And that was something I could only use once before recovering from the recoil of using this.

And this technique will take at least a week to heal completely, and there was no way to hasten the healing process.

My entire energy channels get flooded with different kinds of energy and they can't go to perfectly normal in a short time.

I will be fine with being able to use all the Mana, Aura, and Solnova separately but, not together.

And this pain of energy vessels healing or being used while in the process of healing would be excruciating.

Nothing new to me, though. The pain was just an important part of my life.

And I avoided using this technique at all costs.

Even against grandma. I only used this one once a month just to perfect it in the training sessions.

And this was the most basic use of this technique... that made an archmage bleed.

He was coughing up blood, though not as bad as me.

He was absurdly strong and his natural healing ability as a wizard and high healing ability of light attribute healed him while I was trying to clean up this mess.

The whole ground was flooded with blood, almost becoming a pool that reflected our faces.

And he was smiling while I had done all this..

Why was he even that surprised by that rune? He couldn't have seen that one, so why?

"Ahem! Ahem! Young boy... my master was the only one who could use runes with that efficiency.

He was the only one I had seen, ahem! Using the runes like that.

It's still not at that level but... it's close. Maybe some decades and you will be at that level.

And you can't even think, me comparing someone else's rune crafting with his... this is a greater achievement deserving of more than just a normal key to a room."

And after saying that much, he stopped coughing and wiped the blood from his mouth.

Well... I knew I was still far away from reaching the level my master had, but I knew the mastery that his master and the former headmaster had... I can reach that level in almost a decade or so.

Taking a deep breath, he stood up and cleared the remaining blood from the ground, and patted my head, catching my angry self off guard.

"You really are amazing." He complimented me, and this time, it was from the bottom of his heart.

I could feel the emotions I hadn't before. This time, I can.

They were genuine, kind, and... white?

Well, that was what I felt from this warm head pat, so that was it.

Taking off his hand, he just smiled at me warmly.

It was a genuine smile and... after his last behavior, I really wanted to overlook that smile and just stay like that and get angry at him.

I really was angry! Just how can he do that before all these people?

I was just angry because this wasn't something he does, nor something he intended.

Haaa...

Just shaking my head, I nodded after that deep sigh.

It was getting out of place and boring just standing here with something like this.

Everything's already done, and things have ended..

"I pass, right? This 'test' of yours. Don't say anything weird and let's just go out of here already."

I was tired; it was painful, and I wanted to go back to them now.

I couldn't have thought something like this would happen and I would use something like that technique when Rein and I were first talking on the rooftop this beautiful morning.

Never have I ever thought a lovely day could turn into something tiring like this..

I just shook my head and all these thoughts that were covering my mind and looked at his smiling face.

And as soon as I did that, an annoyed expression appeared on my face and.. he understood I was at my limit here.

Physically and mentally.

He nodded his head at this, understanding things and the chaos he had just caused.

He... bowed his head and at the same time, the skill duration ended and now everyone could see the bowing headmaster in a new pair of better clothes.

"I apologize for that improper, unfitting behavior. And I hope you can forgive me."

His voice was sincere, and I now didn't know what to say to this person.

He had taken down the barrier and now they can come here, and there was no way after seeing all this catastrophe and devastations on the ground, they could stay in their places.

The mages helped others and I can see even without using my 'eyes', they had uncontrollable tears in their eyes.

Mom was better than I had thought, but Rein and Anna were having a downpour of tears.

I can understand Anna, but... why was she crying?

No, I knew why, but... wasn't this too much?

And as soon as the barrier vanished, she also vanished from her seat, and by the time I was fishing looking over everyone... she was standing before me with that teary face.

And seeing her like that, my heart couldn't help but beat faster.. the same heart that had been perfectly fine all this time.

"R-Rein? What-" And even before I could ask anything in my hesitant voice, she.. hugged me once again.