Fantasy Libary 22

Title: I Hope You Find Salvation

The Ogar Lux that allows its user to see the future!

Just hearing about it is enough to imagine how terrifying and powerful Pandora is.

Thanks to possessing this Ogar Lux, Claudia holds the second rank at Seidoukan Academy and has earned the title of Thousand Sights Monarch. She is universally recognized by the academy’s students as the one opponent no one wants to face.

After all, how can anyone defeat someone who can see the future?

Even the top-ranked student, Toudou Kirin, seems reluctant to engage in a fight against Claudia.

However, such power comes at a price.

“All Ogar Lux have a price.” Ark muttered, as if speaking directly to Pandora while holding it in his hand.

“Some costs are bearable, while others are not. My Ser-Veresta falls into the first category.”

The cost of using Ser-Veresta is the need for a massive amount of Prana. Without sufficient energy, it’s impossible to wield. Ark is the only exception.

“But you...” Ark said coldly, his gaze sharpening as he stared at Pandora, “are the latter.”

“The price for using you is experiencing your own death endlessly, isn’t it?”

Unlike Ser-Veresta’s unpredictable yet volatile nature, Pandora’s personality is utterly cruel.

It reveals itself in the suffering of its user, reveling in the torment of their encounters with death. Every user, without exception, will experience their own death in their dreams every time they sleep.

Moreover, Pandora ensures that the deaths are never the same. Its user will experience a variety of deaths—illness, accidents, starvation, freezing, suicide, or murder. Pandora creates these deaths every night in its user’s dreams.

What’s even more horrifying is that upon waking, the details of the dream will fade like melting snow, but the fear and suffering of death, along with fragmented memories, will remain and torment the user’s mind, slowly driving them to despair.

As a result, no one before Claudia has been able to use Pandora for long. Previous users lasted only three days before succumbing to its effects.

The severity of this cost is unimaginable.

Yet Claudia has endured it for years.

Yes, Claudia has been using Pandora for several years. This means she has borne the consequences of using Pandora for that long, likely experiencing thousands of deaths in her dreams.

And unless something changes, she will continue to suffer.

But—

“What a pity.” Ark said in an unprecedented cold tone, issuing a command to Pandora.

“This person has been kind to me, and I must repay her.”

“From now on, you will no longer hurt her.”

“Not only that, you will also atone for everything you’ve done so far.”

“Her future dreams—how happy they will be, will entirely depend on how much happiness you create for her.”

“Do you hear me?”

As Ark spoke, a golden mark appeared on his hand holding Pandora, emitting a mysterious and overwhelming energy.

“—“

Pandora, tightly gripped in Ark’s hand, began to tremble faintly, radiating fear.

It was terrified.

Fearful.

Like a subordinate groveling before an enraged king, Pandora exuded palpable anxiety.

Seeing this, Ark knew that Pandora had completely submitted to him. It no longer dared to oppose him.

Although Ark didn’t use his Authority to claim Pandora, the moment he touched it, he had gained full control over it.

If he wished, he could reduce Pandora to dust in an instant or cast its consciousness into an abyss of eternal suffering.

This is the true dominance of supreme authority over weaponry!

No matter how wicked Pandora’s personality is, as long as it remains a weapon, it cannot withstand Ark’s overwhelming power.

Satisfied, Ark placed Pandora’s Lux back under Claudia’s blanket.

His gaze shifted to Claudia’s peaceful face.

At that moment, the pain and furrowed brow that had marred her expression vanished, replaced by a gentle and serene smile.

Her smile was completely different from the ones she had shown before.

Although Claudia often smiled, her smiles were not expressions of joy but rather gestures of politeness—perhaps even a form of disguise.

Only someone like Ark, familiar with her original story, could truly understand the weight of the secrets this girl carried in her heart and the tragic, foolish desires she harbored deep within.

“I hope you find redemption for all of this.” Ark whispered softly, blessing the sleeping Claudia.

Then, he quietly left her bedroom, retracing his steps and exiting her room entirely.

◆━⊰✧⊱━◆

Time continued to move forward.

Unnoticed, more than a week had passed since Ark obtained Ser-Veresta and gained a reliable method to steadily increase his strength.

During this time, Ark successfully registered for a new dormitory and moved into a spacious single room, settling into a routine.

Every morning before dawn, Ark woke up early to exercise—whether it was running or practicing swordsmanship. These activities helped him adapt to his increasingly improved physique.

Since gaining extraordinary strength, Ark felt an endless flow of energy coursing through him. His laziness seemed to have completely vanished, and he became eager to stay active, allowing his body to adjust quickly and prepare for further enhancements.

His training would last until class time, after which Ark would return to attend lectures.

Normally, Ark wouldn’t bother with classes; after all, he had already completed his education once. Returning to school life was a painful thought.

However, this world was different from his previous one. The Falling Star Rain had reshaped the global system, and the emergence of mana had given rise to a new field—Falling Star Techniques. Ark found the history and knowledge associated with it genuinely fascinating, which motivated him to continue attending lectures.

Moreover, he didn’t need to worry about wasting time since his strength increased almost effortlessly.

In terms of physical and Planar abilities, as long as his body could adapt, he could quickly enhance his strength by absorbing Manadyte without rigorous training.

In terms of combat techniques and awareness, his authority over weaponry made training unnecessary; as long as he held a weapon, his skills would naturally manifest.

Even with Ser-Veresta, Ark had fully mastered its abilities. He didn’t need to familiarize himself with it, develop it, or practice with it.

As a result, Ark’s days were relatively relaxed, yet his strength continued to grow steadily—enough to make anyone marvel at his “cheat-like” progress.

Since his training was limited to adapting to his changing body, Ark had plenty of free time to explore other interests, including the unique subjects taught in class. The only thing he found annoying was exams.

Fortunately, as the thirteenth-ranked student, Ark had significant privileges. Even if his academic performance was poor, the academy would tolerate it.

This was another advantage of high rank, and Ark didn’t hesitate to make full use of it.

◆━⊰✧⊱━◆

A week later, Ark was finally able to resume absorbing Manadyte. Without wasting any time, he rushed to the underground storage facility after class and immediately immersed himself in it.

When he emerged, his face radiated satisfaction, and his presence felt far stronger than before.

‘The joy of growing stronger is truly something else,’ Ark mused as he walked back to his dormitory, feeling cheerful and optimistic about the future.

However, as he walked, a loud explosion suddenly echoed.

“An explosion?”

Startled, Ark turned toward the source of the sound.

What he saw left him frozen.

“That... the direction of the girls’ dormitory?”