Surviving the Magic Academy With Just Intelligence Stats-Chapter 52: Dark Fragment

Adelaide’s concerned voice cut through Marcus’s dark spiral. "Are you okay?" she asked, her hand resting gently on his back. "You looked as though you’d seen a ghost."

Marcus started at her touch, his warrior’s instincts screaming at how completely he’d dropped his guard. He hadn’t even sensed her approach – a sobering reminder of how deeply he’d been lost in his own thoughts. "It’s okay. It’s nothing," he responded, quickly reconstructing his composed facade.

Adelaide studied his sudden shift in demeanor with fascination. The speed at which he could switch between emotional extremes was really like of those dramatic protagonists in fantasy novels. It was almost unsettling how quickly he could bury such obvious distress beneath a mask of calm.

A thought struck her then – she’d observed how Ambrose handled Marcus earlier, how he seemed to respond best to direct encouragement. Perhaps she could employ a similar approach. "Marcus!" she declared, placing her hand firmly on his shoulder. "I know that you want to improve. I know that you have more endurance and dedication than anyone I know—"

"I-I..." Marcus attempted to interject, but Adelaide pressed on.

"But!" she emphasized, cutting him off. "This just isn’t the way to go about it. You won’t improve if you just keep swinging your sword all day."

"But—" Marcus tried again, only to be steamrolled by Adelaide’s determined guidance.

"I didn’t say that you can’t improve," she clarified, "it’s just that you’re going about it the wrong way. You want to be a strong fighter, right?" When he nodded, she continued with conviction, "Then you need to fight!"

New n𝙤vel chapters are published on novelbuddy.cσ๓.

Marcus absorbed her words in silence. The logic wasn’t new to him – he’d considered this himself. But without a hero’s license, he couldn’t legally raid dungeons. While his previous life had given him knowledge of several unregistered dungeons, they were either too distant or far too dangerous for his current capabilities.

Sensing his hesitation, Adelaide quickly shifted tactics. "Actually, I was thinking of hiring some mercenaries to escort me outside the academy. How about you come with me? You can treat it as a form of training." Noting his thoughtful expression, she added her final hook: "Actually, it might be an even more valuable experience than you think."

"What do you mean?" Marcus asked, interest piqued.

Adelaide sighed dramatically. "Actually, my brother is a C-ranked awakened, and he’ll probably attack me when I leave the academy." She paused for effect before continuing, "Didn’t you lose to that C-rank monster in the dungeon? You can use this to see how much you’ve improved."

Internally, Adelaide was screaming in frustration. Why was this so difficult? Ambrose had made it look effortless, when he did it, he didnt use half as much word count, yet here she was practically giving a speech.

Marcus considered her offer carefully. Combat experience would indeed be the fastest way to stimulate growth. Though he couldn’t recall his talent’s name, its earlier reaction suggested it could still be upgraded, it meant that it wasn’t completely lost. Perhaps this explained how he’d survived until meeting the Spirit King even after his talent was taken.

Just as he was about to agree, something nagged at his memory. "What’s your brother’s name?" he asked suddenly.

Adelaide blinked in surprise at the unexpected question. "His name is Sebastian Maximilian," she replied, wondering about the significance.

The change in Marcus was immediate and striking. "When are we leaving?" he asked, his voice carrying a new edge of purpose.

"Right now," Adelaide answered with a satisfied smile. She didn’t understand why Sebastian’s name had triggered such a decisive response, but she wasn’t about to question her good fortune. If Marcus harbored some grudge against her brother, well, that would only make him a more motivated protector.

…

Back to the present,

Adelaide watched the massive grey fist approaching with an almost surreal calm. "I’ve really tried all that I could. I hope you don’t let me down," she thought, her heart racing despite her outward composure. Just as Sebastian’s demonic appendage was about to connect, a blur of motion intercepted the attack.

A powerful kick caught Sebastian in his transformed side, the impact resonating with a thunderous crack. His massive form went sailing through the air, crashing through several nearby carriages in an explosion of splintered wood and billowing dust.

Marcus materialized beside Adelaide, his signature sword hanging ready at his waist, its familiar weight a comfort in the face of what was to come.

"You’ve done enough. Leave the rest to me," he stated simply, his voice carrying quiet authority.

"Thanks." Adelaide didn’t hesitate to back away from the impending battle. She might have put on a brave face, but she was ultimately just a merchant’s daughter with no combat ability. Simply keeping Sebastian distracted long enough for Marcus to deal with his subordinates had left her mentally exhausted. Now all she could do was hope that the warrior who had caught her master’s interest was at least strong enough to handle a super enraged C-rank demonoid.

But Marcus’s thoughts ran far deeper than Adelaide could know. His ready agreement to accompany her hadn’t been mere coincidence or chivalry – Sebastian’s name had triggered memories of a dark future. In that timeline, Sebastian would become one of humanity’s greatest enemies, a human who sided with the demon realm, turning into a demonoid. His future atrocities were too numerous to count – murder, plunder, and unspeakable crimes against women. He represented the lowest depths of human depravity.

But this wasn’t the only reason why he was after him, although sebastian was the lowest of the low, there were thousands of others like him or even worse. The reason he targeted him was that Sebastian was unique. He belonged to a category known as the "dark fragments" – corrupted counterparts to the light fragments that bestowed divine powers upon the worthy. These dark fragments were given only to the most depraved, the absolutely unworthy, and they had played a crucial role in the third demon war. Eliminating this dark fragment now could deal a significant blow to the demons’ future plans while providing humanity with a crucial advantage.

But as Marcus squared off against his transformed opponent, doubt crept in. Sebastian possessed one of the most dangerous dark fragments – the Sin of Lust from the notorious Sin series. As dust settled around them and Sebastian’s monstrous form became visible through the haze, Marcus couldn’t help but wonder: even with his knowledge of the future, would he be strong enough to prevail?

A/N - Sorry for the rushed chapters, I was feeling a little sick. I’ll try to edit them later.

Thanks