Chapter 121: Alright, Let’s Recharge Magic!

Vilyric tried to investigate the key, which had produced a strange reaction, again using 【Information Detection】, but unfortunately, the result remained unchanged—still that line about 【Key of March, one of the keys needed to unlock the great door; all keys must be gathered to activate its power.】

This left the Priestess, who had expected something intriguing, feeling somewhat disappointed.

While the 【Information Detection】 skill was indeed convenient, it clearly fell short in high-level confrontations. It was precisely because she realized this that Vilyric actively began to develop and apply sp.

However, given her current level of mastery, attempting to achieve the same level of precise operation as the ready-made skills in the game using sp was still quite challenging.

After repeatedly examining the mysterious key under Noviya’s curious gaze for a while, Vilyric finally concluded that this thing, aside from glowing inexplicably, really showed no signs of change. Reluctantly, she stowed it back into her backpack.

Since that vague description mentioned March, it wasn’t her first time trying to take the key out at night, but this phenomenon was indeed a fresh experience. If all went well, it was likely linked to changes caused by 【March’s Harmony】.

That meant if she missed this opportunity, she would have to wait another year.

It sounded quite regrettable, but it actually wasn’t a big deal; she should focus on more pressing issues at hand.

Although she wasn’t able to uncover all of Noviya’s information, Vilyric had grasped most of the situation. As for what the Source of Magic really was? Let’s set that aside. The current environment had indeed changed because Noviya’s body was endlessly absorbing magic power.

She was like a super magnet; anything related to 【magic】 would uncontrollably transfer to her. This was a law-driven change that didn’t alter due to the individual’s will.

Vilyric wasn’t sure how much magic power Noviya could absorb, but if she maintained this state, the concentration of magic power in the surrounding environment would gradually thin down from the current explosive expansion to true 【Void】.

Even magic power from outside would get sucked in immediately, creating a so-called magic vacuum zone.

The Priestess couldn’t quite imagine what kind of sight that would create, but one thing was certain: those races dependent on magic for survival would face significant challenges. For instance, the Puppeteer Clan would never awaken or restart as long as Noviya was nearby.

Of course, there were a few ways to tackle this.

For example, like the Ghost Thieves and Sylvester, one could directly confine Noviya using a powerful item that had sealing effects to cut off her connection to the outside world, thus avoiding this phenomenon of magic absorption.

Or, putting her soul back into a sleeping state could work as well. From the previous experience with the little wolf cub form—with how peacefully everything was—under that condition, Noviya shouldn’t showcase that kind of 【magic absorption】 power.

Then there was the simpler, more brute-force method.

No container is truly limitless. Noviya’s unrestrained absorption of magic indicated that she indeed needed it. So, if they could fill her up… ahem, adequately replenish her to a full state, it should naturally come to a stop.

These three methods were the ones Vilyric could think of, which were relatively safe while ensuring Noviya wouldn’t be harmed.

That said…

The Priestess exchanged a glance with the bright-eyed girl who sparkled innocently, shaking her head helplessly.

Locking such a lovely child in a dark room was a bit too cruel; the first option could be dismissed right away.

As for putting Noviya back to sleep, Vilyric had some plans in mind, but dealing with souls—an area she wasn’t too skilled in—meant the Priestess didn’t dare to guarantee absolute safety, especially with such an unclassifiable oddity. Any unforeseen complications could turn quite troublesome.

So the only road left to take was…

Hopefully, this little girl’s appetite wasn’t too big… Wait, that nasty butterfly, Tiyelu… could she have foreseen this scenario and intentionally delayed the transport time to throw them off?

It sounded unbelievable, but somehow it felt quite probable…

Oh well, she could always settle the score with her later.

Actually, giving Noviya magic didn’t require any special actions; after all, she was already wildly absorbing all magic around her at all times. It was merely Vilyric who could easily resist that pull.

After pondering for a moment, the black-haired girl gently embraced the silver-haired girl, who was foolishly sitting by the lake and still enjoying the moonlight bath, in a manner that wasn’t too invasive, and then temporarily released the protective effect of 【Feather Garment: Glarya】.

“Hmm?”

Noviya, who didn’t understand the language, could only make a confused sound at the Priestess’s sudden action. However, right afterward, both their bodies abruptly fell into a brief moment of rigidity.

Due to their skin touching in such proximity, once the artifact’s automatic defense was lifted, Vilyric immediately felt that insane absorbing force coming from the girl in her arms—it was as if she were holding not a girl, but a miniature black hole that was vigorously contracting.

mp began to drop at a visibly rapid rate. Steadying herself, the Priestess suppressed her instinctual resistance and allowed Noviya’s body to draw sustenance from her enormous magic power.

The little wolf girl’s delicate body seemed to have difficulty adapting and enduring the sudden influx of abundant magic. After a rigid pause, she began to fidget and tremble uneasily.

“Easy now, don’t squirm.”

But Vilyric had already anticipated this; the reason for holding her in that seemingly intimate manner wasn’t for her own benefit but actually to prevent complications during the magic transfer. Though her hands, which were wrapped around the girl’s back, weren’t exerting much force, they certainly weren’t something this little girl could escape.

“Whoosh ~ whoosh ~”

The surging tide of magic power raised a gentle breeze across the tranquil lake surface, rippling the water and tousling the delicate hair of the two girls. The moon, mirrored on the lake, swayed along with them.

After a while, perhaps finally coming to terms with the sudden change or adapting to the process, Noviya gradually ceased her struggles. Like a child being nurtured by their mother, she curled up comfortably in the black-haired girl’s embrace, her bare feet, still dripping with shimmering water droplets, gently resting on the Priestess’s white robe that sprawled across the grass by the lake, letting out adorable little whimpers like a peaceful cub.

As for Vilyric, she too gradually adapted to the feeling of having her magic absorbed. Although Noviya’s “appetite” was considerable, just as she had anticipated, there was indeed a limit.

After a while of fluctuating, the rate at which mp was decreasing stabilized around 5000/s, not continuing to rise endlessly.

Being drawn at a rate of 5000 mp per second was indeed a tremendous burden for most living beings in this world.

From what Vilyric understood so far, Pseudo-Gods, that is, beings below level 70, usually had a maximum mp not exceeding 100,000 even if specialized in magic. In other words, even a top magus surpassing the pinnacle would be completely drained within less than 20 seconds.

But fortunately, Vilyric’s total mp, or magic capacity, was one of the aspects she was confident in; after all, if a Priestess ran out of blue, she couldn’t do anything at all!

   

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