Danmachi - Infinite Mana System! - Chapter 169 - Altena 09.

[Chapter Size: 1800 Words.]
Third Person POV
Altena.

...

...

Lucius walked through the corridors of the main tower as the sun continued to rise over the city. They made their way to the center of the tower, where a type of magical elevator was located. They entered one, and Lucius, Riveria, and Victoria began to descend after activating the device.

"The elevator is interesting. There should be something like this in Orario..." Lucius commented as they descended at high speed, though it was a comfortable ride.

"I know the guild is planning to build one of these for the dungeon. But they are hiring the academy to construct it," Riveria said, hearing Lucius' thoughts.

"Academy? That one?" Lucius looked at her, raising an eyebrow at his lover. He didn’t know much about it, but he had heard of it. Wasn't that where Leon Vardenburg, the current strongest adventurer in the world, was supposed to be? Another level 7 and the head of that ship that sails the seas, training young people in magic and combat to create powerful individuals. Although in magic, Altena does much better.

"Yes. They are coming to Orario soon. That’s what the guild leader informed us," she replied.

"I see. Well, in any case, I’d like to see that special ship. I hope to meet them when we return," he murmured calmly. He didn’t want to miss the chance to see the academy as well.

While Riveria spoke, Victoria remained there, standing silently the entire time. The elevator reached the ground floor of the tower. They walked out as the doors opened, revealing a bustling reception area. Many people were already working for the Athena family at that hour. Among them were family members, students from the academy, and even professors. The entire city was focused on creating magical artifacts and studying magic, which was quite evident.

Lucius quickly drew everyone's attention as he entered the room. Many glanced at him. By this time, he was extremely famous in the city, not just for the incident at the academy three weeks ago, where he acted as a temporary teacher and caused a great commotion by impersonating a professor and beating up another teacher, who also happened to be a member of the Athena family.

But Lucius also demonstrated great magical abilities and unique spells that no one had ever heard of. He could summon giant beings, evolved goblins, and even a female body made of flames. He trained daily in combat with the Athena family as part of the agreement he had made with the goddess.

He even managed to refute a theoretical thesis by the professor he replaced, proving the theory wrong and correcting it entirely. Moreover, absurd rumors were circulating that Lucius Drakenar didn’t need to rest his magic. No one had ever seen him tire, no matter how much he fought. This fact intrigued many people, who speculated how he had so much magical strength or how it was possible for him to master so many spells, something that should have been impossible. Even the goddess Athena herself showed great interest in him. And what shocked everyone the most was his strength, capable of defeating the entire Athena family daily.

As Lucius ignored the glances and whispers around him, he continued walking out. It was a common sight wherever he went in Altena. However, his calm was interrupted when, as he approached the exit, an older man—visibly a professor from the academy—approached him.

"Lord Lucius! What a coincidence to meet you here!" The man said, bowing exaggeratedly.

Lucius stared at him as if he were a fool, knowing the old man had probably been waiting the whole time, as he did every day.

"What do you want, Charles?" Lucius asked in a direct tone, already knowing his name. Riveria and Victoria remained silent, merely observing.

"I was wondering if you might have time to come to my lab today. I’d like to conduct a small study," the man said.

Lucius wanted to hit that man. He wanted his blood at all costs, but Lucius always refused.

"Sorry, I don’t have time," was all Lucius said as he walked past the old man without giving any further excuse, tired of the daily requests.

"But, Lord Lucius, this is for the sake of magic! Please, make some time. Otherwise, I will have to speak with the goddess Athena," the old man insisted.

Lucius suddenly stopped, while Riveria looked worried, and even Victoria became apprehensive. They knew what was about to happen—something they had seen countless times in recent days whenever someone dared to threaten Lucius.

"Let me tell you something, old man," Lucius said arrogantly. "I am not a member of the Athena family, and she does not give me orders. We’re only here because of an agreement. In any case, I never want to see you in front of me again."

He spoke calmly, but his words brought the entire hall to silence. Before the old man could react, Lucius snapped his fingers. The man was immediately trapped in a sphere of time created by Lucius, who snapped his fingers again, making the old man disappear.

"Well, we’re done here. Now, let’s check out the Athena family’s training grounds," Lucius said nonchalantly, shrugging. No one knew where the old man had been sent. It was something Lucius often did to anyone who tried to threaten him or use the goddess Athena’s name as blackmail.

Without saying anything more, Lucius left, followed by the two women. As they walked through the city, gossip about what had happened swirled, but he didn’t care. However, a group of people began running after him as soon as they spotted him in the street.

"Lord Lucius!" someone shouted.

Lucius sighed, took a deep breath, and started creating new time spheres, freezing everyone who pursued him. They stood immobilized within his magic as he continued walking through the streets.

"Are you going to keep doing this all the time?" Riveria murmured, glancing back and seeing dozens of people frozen in Lucius's magic.

"As much as I need to. You know I don’t tire easily," he said calmly, flashing a smile at her.

Riveria just sighed, resigned. They continued on until they reached a closed-off area, surrounded by walls over 20 meters high. The entrance was guarded, and they passed through without issue.

A group of people was already waiting for them inside, in what looked like a type of arena, complete with stands, but entirely empty.

"Will you need my help today?" Riveria asked.

"No, don’t worry. I’ll handle this. I have special training planned for them..." Lucius replied calmly.

Riveria headed to one of the stands, a routine she followed when Lucius didn’t need her assistance, as she was always by his side during training. Lucius approached the group of people with Victoria at his side.

"Good luck, Master," Victoria said as she passed him.

Lucius glanced at her through his red hair without saying a word, thinking to himself how persistent that girl was. He then turned his attention to those waiting. They were the main members of the Athena family. Victoria was the only level 2 among them, while the others ranged from levels 3 to 5. Even the academy’s director, who could be considered a level 6—though not officially at that level yet—was on the verge of advancing, and Lucius wanted to see her reach it before he left Altena.

"It seems we’re here again," he said, while everyone still felt the fatigue from yesterday’s battle. "I hope you’ve recovered from our training yesterday. Today, we’ll focus on improving your speed and magic combat practice so you won’t have to rely on Athena’s knights. As I’ve always said, that reliance is shameful. But I’m confident that by the end of this week, all of you will meet my expectations," he concluded.

"You could go a little easier on us..." a level 3 muttered among the group.

"Don’t speak, Squad! If you complain, he’ll make it even harder," a level 4 woman with glasses whispered, glancing cautiously at Lucius. That man didn’t go easy on any of them. He left everyone sprawled on the ground, wondering how someone could be so powerful after defeating the entire family without suffering even a scratch.

Lucius merely shrugged. His gaze swept over the group as the other members quickly bowed. All had noticed the presence of a woman with purple hair on the opposite side, entering from the stands opposite Riveria. Clad in a white dress and holding a golden staff, she stared directly at Lucius.

"It seems the goddess Athena will be watching your fight today. So, try not to embarrass yourselves too much," Lucius said, showing no concern for the goddess's piercing gaze. Nevertheless, he would remain as relentless as ever.

"We’re ready to continue," said the director and commander of the family, stepping into a combat stance and gripping her staff with both hands. The other members followed suit.

"Alright, we’re starting with full force today," Lucius said.

Without moving a muscle, a magic circle began to form behind him. In mere seconds, he summoned not one but three Goliaths at the same time. The group braced themselves for battle, knowing this would not be a simple fight. When Lucius snapped his fingers and raised his hand, the Goliaths began to transform. Using his evolution summoning spell, the creatures' skin darkened, becoming Black Goliaths.

Now, three Black Goliaths stood ready for battle. Their deafening roars echoed throughout the entire city. Lucius vanished and reappeared in the air, more than 50 meters above the battlefield.

"Today’s training will be special. Remember: these Goliaths have extremely high regeneration—it happens in mere moments. So don’t think this will be easy. I won’t intervene in your fight, because I won’t need to," he said, shrugging while observing the family ready themselves against the creatures.

The goddess Athena watched the battle begin, her gaze fixed on the field. Her family struggled to fight the Goliaths. Each step of the creatures cracked the ground, and their roars nearly deafened the combatants. The spectacle caught the attention of the entire city, everyone aware that this was the training the world’s most powerful mage was conducting with the Athena family.

Athena’s gaze remained steady, carefully analyzing the fight. Her eyes occasionally drifted from the explosions and chaos to Lucius, scrutinizing him as he observed the battle. Lucius met her gaze, unfazed.

It didn’t take long for the Goliaths to vanish. However, they hadn’t been destroyed; Lucius had simply canceled his spell. The battlefield lay in ruins, and the members of the Athena family were sprawled on the ground, injured. Lucius landed calmly, extending his hand to release a healing spell that quickly spread across the area, instantly restoring everyone’s health.

His eyes locked onto Athena, who returned his gaze with a neutral expression. Lucius let out a deep sigh. He already knew she wanted to speak with him, though he wasn’t certain about what exactly.

------

Raccoon Here: I spent an hour making these images...