Absorption, Third Ability Unlocked?!

In the dark of night, Princess Adrina boarded the carrier by boat, her expression heavy with concern. Soon they had to move again, and they were escorted to a separately prepared room.

Inside the tightly controlled space stood King Ian. Everyone except Princess Adrina saluted; she also dipped her head in greeting.

“I’m glad you returned safely, Princess Adrina.”

“I was able to come back because these people were with me.”

“I’m relieved our people helped. More importantly—what happened? You must have heard on the way: goblins appeared in a horde.”

“May I explain, Your Majesty?”

The man who stepped forward carefully was the agent named Hanseuran who had led the party. Ian nodded permission, and Hanseuran began—from their first steps, to the sighting of goblins, to their encounter with the Magnia Empire.

As the account reached its core, Ian’s expression tightened. The crucial point: the treasure of the ruins could not be divided.

“Did you find this ‘treasure’?”

“Yes, we did.”

“What is it?”

“We brought it here.”

With that, someone carried in a box. Ian eyed it with curiosity as they set it on the table. It wasn’t large—perhaps thirty centimeters on a side.

That meant the treasure itself was small. As he thought this, Mardin, the aide, addressed Hanseuran.

“Has it been cleared as safe?”

“It has. We tested it and detected no effect on the human body.”

“Even so, caution is required. Your Majesty, may I examine it first?”

“Do so.”

As the king’s aide, he was responsible for Ian’s safety. With the king’s approval, Mardin carefully opened the lid. Inside, upon a soft cloth, lay a white shard of some glass-like material.

The shard was the size of a little fingernail and not transparent—pure white. Seeing that this was the treasure, Ian could not help but feel puzzled.

“That’s the treasure you found in the ruins?”

“Yes. It was floating—so to speak—over a stone slab at the deepest point.”

“And what can we do with it?”

“We don’t yet know. We touched it and examined it, but there was no response.”

“Hmm. Does it require a mage to activate?”

“It may. To ordinary folk like us, no stimulus produced any effect.”

Ian felt uneasy at the idea that a mage would be needed to verify it—but to confirm anything, he would have to summon one of the kingdom’s two mages (one still unaccounted for) when they returned.

‘What is this, that everyone is so desperate to find it?’

Emperor Jedic of Magnia apparently already possessed one. More puzzling was the mention of a third faction. From what they said, it seemed to be a clandestine, underground organization rather than a nation.

‘Like those secret societies back on Earth? This is getting absurd.’

With the Magnia Empire and a hidden force both involved, he felt he was seeing a concealed face of this world—and that he himself had stepped into this competition.

‘One thing is certain: everyone covets it.’

He still didn’t know what it was, but the greed surrounding it meant it was immensely valuable. Ian glanced at Princess Adrina. Her face was downcast—perhaps because there was only one treasure, and it would not be hers.

‘This is… inconvenient.’

Mardin, who had been peering at the shard, spoke.

“Your Majesty, it appears safe.”

He handed it over carefully. As the shard settled into Ian’s palm, Ian lowered his gaze to inspect it—and felt something tug at him powerfully.

Wooooooonn—!!!

A shrill tone rang in his head. Before he could react, a brilliant light seemed to rush into him. With the sense that something was interfering with him, his instincts resisted.

Drawing on his powerful will, his expanded mental defenses from the Second Ability blocked the intrusion. The pressure mounted. The more it tried to bore in, the stronger the weight became.

He had no room for thought—only the conviction to resist. On the edge of being overwhelmed—pop!—something burst in his mind.

For an instant, it felt as if cold water filled his skull. Then came a surge—an expansion of his mental power. He did not yet fully grasp it, but he was growing to contain a force beyond his previous limits.

With that growth came the unlocking of a Third Ability. It was a breakthrough from a plateau—a stroke of fortune for Ian, dangerous yet ultimately helpful.

All of this happened in a blink. A voice snapped his awareness back.

“Your Majesty?”

“Mm?”

“Are you unwell, Sire?”

Seeing Mardin’s worried face, Ian steadied his briefly dazed mind, like a man just waking up. He could not help wondering what had just happened.

‘Huh… a new ability unlocked. And my mental power expanded too?’

He stared at the shard in his palm. Its whiteness—was gone. It had turned transparent.

“I’m fine. But…”

“Oh? The shard turned transparent.”

Agent Hanseuran had noticed the change. Only then did the others realize it had gone clear in Ian’s hand. How? Ian raised it closer to his eyes.

‘Nothing inside?’

It looked empty—completely clear. Ian realized that whatever had been within had moved into him. It felt unsettling, but unlocking a third ability was undeniably good.

‘So it truly is a treasure.’

He had wondered what it was for, but a new ability—and expanded will—were treasures in themselves. His second, Mental Manipulation, already yielded tremendous results; how much more would this third bring? He could not help feeling eager.

“Your Majesty, are you sure you’re all right?”

“I am.”

“Even so—the change occurred when it touched Your Majesty’s hand. It could harm you. We should summon the royal physician who accompanied us.”

Many nodded at Mardin’s single-minded concern for Ian’s health. Ian felt almost too pleased to speak, but, unable to explain, he simply agreed.

“Very well. I’ll be examined if it eases your worries. And store this safely.”

Mardin returned the now-transparent shard to the box and closed the lid. Ian looked again to Princess Adrina; her face made him feel even more apologetic.

‘I’ve effectively monopolized the treasure.’

It had become his alone. He didn’t know how to make this right. She could do nothing if he pretended ignorance—but he would not be that kind of man.

‘First things first—deal with the goblins.’

The immediate problem took priority. From what he had heard, goblins were pouring ceaselessly from the ruins. However many and for however long—they could not be allowed to overrun the island.

World Era 1913, February 7.

As the Great War intensified, the Magnia Empire was profiting handsomely: while maintaining a quasi-neutral stance, it had converted factories and was producing vast quantities of munitions.

Everything sold the moment it was made. Nobles rapidly converted their works to armaments; demand was so strong that even latecomers made fortunes.

Yet the imperial leadership viewed the war gravely. Over ten million men on both sides were clashing in waves. Even Magnia found such massed forces worrisome.

Magnia’s standing army numbered two million. Doicheun alone had mobilized over five million; considering casualties and rotations, they had fielded more.

Thus the leadership wanted more troops.

“Your Majesty, we must add one million to the standing army.”

“We concur. The scale mobilized by the empires is alarming.”

“Wouldn’t three million regulars strain the treasury?”

Jedic’s chancellor answered at once.

“Not at all. We’re making massive profits selling to both sides. With this, a million more will not burden us.”

“Very well—raise another million. Once the war ends, disband them at once.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. A wise decision.”

So easily, a million new soldiers were ordered. Such was Magnia’s might—and the special circumstances. In peacetime, even an empire would feel the strain.

“Doicheun’s momentum is troubling.”

“Indeed. We did not expect such strength against two empires.”

“If it continues, who wins?”

“Military reports converge on a Doicheun victory.”

“Why?”

“Their military capacity is that great. On the field, they often overmatch the two empires. And new weapons appearing in dribs and drabs are worrying.”

“Our intelligence service—Longsword—reports that Doicheun has devised and is developing a method to break trench warfare. By next year, such weapons may reach the front.”

“…I see.”

Jedic pondered bolstering Moria and Noma to counterbalance Doicheun, dragging the war into stalemate. The Great War was worrisome—but also a great opportunity for profit.

‘If the war drags on, all three empires will suffer deeply from its aftershocks.’

Then Magnia might rise above them all as the world’s foremost power. Best, then, to let them exhaust themselves.

In international affairs, guilt and pity were luxuries; ruthlessness was required.

“Also—there’s a troubling report from the Polia Kingdom’s Marin Archipelago.”

At the intelligence chief’s words, Jedic’s eyes narrowed. The archipelago—he recalled the clandestine survey team he’d sent.

“What report?”

“We don’t have the exact term yet, but it seems a goblin horde appeared on one of the islands.”

“Goblins? The same monster I know?”

“Yes, Sire. The Polian king is reportedly deploying the newly established 10th Fleet to suppress them.”

“…I see.”

If that happened where he had sent a survey team, something had occurred at the ancient site he sought.

How ironic. The king just happened to be inspecting the archipelago, and now an island—very likely where his team was—was being purged of goblins. An ill omen.

“Didn’t Adrina go with the Polian king?”

“She did. She is likely still among the 10th Fleet.”

“Find a way to contact her. We must learn what’s happening through that girl.”

The intelligence chief bowed assent.