Multiversal Ascension-Chapter 73: Conflict

Mikael stood in the main library, completely absorbed in the spellbook he held. Standing in one of the aisles, he flipped through the pages with practiced ease, his enhanced mind processing the dense magical text faster than most could manage. This particular book focused on a fire-element spell, and Mikael was so engrossed that he didn't notice the group of second-year students entering the aisle behind him.

"Look at this first-year," one of them sneered, his tone mocking. "Completely zoned out like he's the only one here."

Another laughed quietly. "Isn't he the guy hanging around Amelia? Guess he thinks he's something special."

Their leader, a tall, broad-shouldered boy with an arrogant smirk, stepped forward. Without warning, he bumped Mikael's shoulder with his own, clearly intending to knock him off balance.

The result was the opposite. Mikael didn't move an inch, his body unmoving as if the second-year had struck a stone wall. The older student, on the other hand, staggered back a step, blinking in surprise and anger.

"What the hell?" the second-year snapped, his smirk vanishing.

Mikael closed the book slowly, his green eyes calm and steady as he regarded the boy. 'Really again people that are aggressive because of my close relation with Amelia?' he thought having heard their conversation.

Inwardly he was amused, because honestly these simps were kinda funny, at the start he found them annoying but now after a while he simply found them pathetic, pitiful even in a way.

With an almost amused expression, he said, "Is there something you need?" His tone was polite but held a subtle mocking undertone.

The second-year scowled. "You think your smart aren't you but you're nothing just a parasite clinging to Amelia

Mikael's gaze didn't waver. "Thanks for your unasked and totally useless opinion. Now, if you're done trying to make a fool of yourself, I'd like to get back to my reading."

The other second-years chuckled quietly at their leader's expense, which only fueled his anger. "You little—" he began, stepping forward aggressively.

Before the situation could escalate further, a soft but firm voice cut through the tension. "What's going on here?"

Lyra appeared at the end of the aisle, a thick book tucked under her arm. Her purple eyes darted between Mikael and the second-years, her reserved demeanor tinged with irritation. Though her voice was calm, there was an unmistakable authority in it.

The second-year leader faltered, his aggression wawering as he turned toward Lyra. "We were just talking," he said, his voice defensive.

Lyra's eyes narrowed slightly, her bookworm-like curiosity momentarily replaced with quiet disapproval. She glanced at Mikael, who stood relaxed and unbothered, then back at the group. "This is a library," she said softly. "Talking loudly, let alone causing a disturbance, isn't acceptable."

One of the second-years muttered, "We weren't that loud."

Lyra's expression didn't change, but her tone became firmer. "Leave."

The leader hesitated, clearly embarrassed at being chastised by someone he perceived as meek. "But—"

"Enough," Lyra said quietly, her voice calm but laced with authority. "If you don't leave right now, I'll myself take care of throwing you outside!"

The leader flushed red, his fists clenching. His friends tugged at his sleeve, muttering for him to let it go. After a moment of tense silence, he huffed and gestured for his group to leave.

"We're not done," he muttered toward Mikael before storming off.

Mikael watched them go with a faint smirk, shaking his head slightly. "Well, that was pointless."

Lyra let out a small relieved sigh, her composed demeanor disappearing in favor of a more reserved expression. "Are you all right?" she asked quietly.

Mikael raised an eyebrow, amused. "You know I could have handled them."

"I know," Lyra replied, her tone softening. "But this is a library, not a sparring arena. It's better to avoid unnecessary drama."

He chuckled. "Fair point. Thanks for stepping in."

She gave him a small nod, her gaze lingering on him briefly before turning back to the book she was holding. "If you need anything else, just let me know," she said, her reserved tone back in place.

"Will do," Mikael replied as she walked away. He returned to his book, unbothered by the interruption considering it a minor episode not worth thinking about, his focus already back on the spells he was studying.

Hours passed before he finally stopped, having memorized all the spells he wanted to learn. With a small nod to Lyra, he exited the building. The rays of the setting sun bathed him in their warm glow, while the encroaching darkness of night began to spread across the surroundings—a sign of how long he had spent in the main library.

Unbothered by the encroaching darkness, Mikael began his walk. After only a short moment, he noticed something and subtly altered his path, heading toward a quieter, dimly lit area of the Academy where fewer students roamed.

Before long, he entered what could only be described as a dark alley, the shadows stretching around him. The sound of footsteps and hushed voices behind him broke the stillness.

"Damn, this bastard made us wait for hours," one voice muttered.

Another, harsher voice chimed in, "I won't be satisfied until I beat him so bad his own parents wouldn't recognize him!"

Mikael turned around, his calm gaze falling on the same three second-years from the library. The leader hesitated for a moment, uneasy at Mikael's lack of reaction, but then pushed forward with bravado. "Surprise, little fucker! I told you we weren't done, didn't I?" His grin was meant to intimidate.

Mikael raised an eyebrow, his expression more amused than anything. "You lot again?" he said, his voice even.

The leader mistook Mikael's tone for fear and opened his mouth to speak, but Mikael cut him off. "So, let me get this straight. You waited hours to ambush me, all because of a minor conflict in the library?" His eyes filled with disdain. "Your lives must be really pathetic if this is the best use of your time."

The three second-years turned red with anger, their leader's smirk twisting into a scowl. "Screw you! You're dead! Get him!"

At the command, the two lackeys charged at Mikael, refraining from using aura or mana to stay within the Academy's rules. They aimed to overwhelm him with brute force, confident that a first-year wouldn't be able to handle them.

Mikael, however, didn't even flinch. Effortlessly, he ducked under a poorly aimed punch before sidestepping another. The lackeys' movements were clumsy, their techniques amateurish.

With precise timing, Mikael countered. He delivered a sharp punch to the first attacker's stomach, causing the boy's eyes to bulge before he was launched back a meter, collapsing on the ground and groaning in pain. Mikael had controlled his strength, knowing that inflicting serious injuries could land him in trouble.

The second lackey froze in shock, staring at his fallen comrade. Before he could react, Mikael's powerful kick slammed into his chest, sending him flying into a nearby wall. He let out a pained grunt as his back hit the surface before sliding to the ground, clearly incapacitated.

The leader's face paled as he watched his two allies be dispatched in mere seconds. Sweat beaded on his forehead as fear crept in. Realizing he couldn't match Mikael in raw strength, he decided to break the rules. Blue energy flared around his body as he activated his aura cloak, enhancing his physical abilities.

With a roar, the leader charged at Mikael, moving far faster than his lackeys. 'There's no way a first-year can take me on when I'm using aura,' he thought, confident in his rank as an E+ warrior.

Mikael, seeing the use of aura, decided to get slightly more serious. As the leader's punch approached, Mikael sidestepped and redirected it, using minimal effort. Then, with precise timing, he countered with a solid strike to the leader's chest.

The leader staggered back, clutching his chest in pain but grinning as if he had baited Mikael into a false sense of security. He threw another punch, aiming for a surprise attack.

Mikael easily blocked it, his expression calm, before delivering a powerful uppercut to the leader's jaw. The second-year's eyes rolled back as he saw stars. He was lifted off the ground before crashing onto his back with a loud thud, unconscious.

Mikael glanced at the three fallen attackers, his expression indifferent. With a slight shrug, he turned and walked away, leaving the dark alley behind.

Shortly after Mikael left, a third-year student wearing a badge signifying his position in the disciplinary committee arrived at the scene. Frowning, he tapped his bracelet, having received a notification about unauthorized aura usage.

Approaching the unconscious second-years, he sighed. "Seriously? Another one of these fights..."

He glanced at the active aura signature still lingering on one of the students. His bracelet confirmed the identity of the aura user—the leader.

Looking down, the disciplinary officer noticed one of the lackeys was still conscious, though groaning in pain. "What happened here?" he asked, his tone sharp.

"We got into a fight," the second-year admitted grudgingly, offering no further details.

The officer's eyes narrowed. "He used aura during the fight, didn't he?"

The lackey hesitated before nodding. Loyalty wasn't strong enough to shield the leader from the truth, especially when it could mean more trouble for himself.

The officer sighed again and crouched next to the unconscious leader. With a simple spell, he woke him up.

"What the—" the leader gasped, disoriented.

"You got into a fight and used aura, correct?" the officer asked coldly.

The leader blinked, then nodded reluctantly, realizing there was no point in lying.

The officer checked his bracelet before speaking. "This is your first offense, so here's how this will go: you're suspended from the Academy for one week. If it happens again, you'll be expelled. Is that clear?"

The leader wanted to argue but stopped when he saw the cold look in the officer's eyes. Gritting his teeth, he muttered, "Understood."

"Good. You have two hours to leave the premises. You may visit the infirmary if needed," the officer said curtly before walking away, uninterested in hearing any more excuses.

Meanwhile, Mikael, unaware of the aftermath, had returned to the training room. He was already deep into another session, focusing entirely on his progress and leaving the earlier ambush as nothing more than a passing inconvenience.

This time, Mikael focused on learning the spells he had memorized. He started with the first-circle spells, as they were much easier to grasp. He only worked on them until they were considered "learned," not pushing further toward silent casting or intent casting for now.

The night passed quickly, and by morning, his mana core had grown noticeably. He had successfully learned a little more than half of the first-circle spells he memorized the day before.

At that moment, his phone rang. Pausing his training, he picked it up and saw that it was Amelia. The call surprised him; she didn't usually reach out to him this way. Still, he answered.

They exchanged casual conversation for a short while before Amelia hesitated and then nervously asked, "Say, can I ask you something?"

"Sure," Mikael replied evenly, sensing the tension in her voice.

"You see... i-it's just that...mydadwouldliketoseeyou," she blurted out quickly, her nerves getting the better of her.

"What? Did you just say your dad wants to see me?" Mikael asked, genuinely surprised by the sudden and unexpected request.

"Yeah..." she admitted with a sigh. "He called me not long ago and said he wanted to meet the man I'm close to."

"Already introducing me to your family? You're skipping a few steps, don't you think?" he teased lightly, but when she didn't laugh and remained silent, clearly anxious, Mikael softened his tone. "Honestly, I don't mind. If you want, I can meet your family."

He heard a relieved sigh on the other end before she said, "Would you be available tomorrow?"

Having nothing planned, Mikael agreed. "Sure, no problem."

"Okay, great! I'll come to pick you up at 1 PM, okay?"

"Sounds good," Mikael confirmed, and they ended the call.

Afterward, Mikael sat on his bed, a thoughtful expression on his face. 'Honestly, meeting her father could be a great opportunity. He's one of the two dukes and extremely powerful. From what I know, he's an SSS rank warrior. If I can manage to shake his hand, I might be able to use the Advanced Race Gain System to copy his race's "variations," or rather, his talents. That could allow me to upgrade my current talent from average to genius. With that, along with my control, my aura, and the mana potency I gain with each rank-up, could surpass even Amelia.'

He sighed inwardly. 'That's pretty cold of me to think like that, isn't it? While I do care about Amelia, that doesn't extend to her dad. Maybe just a little because he's her father, and if something happened to him, she'd be sad. But fundamentally, I still don't care about strangers.'

This chapt𝙚r is updated by freeωebnovēl.c૦m.

Shrugging off the thought, Mikael refocused on his training.

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