"Black Furnace."
Holding a Mana Crystal in one hand and the jet-black activator in the other, Erend spoke with impatience.
"Sound of a crash!"
On the Black Furnace Demon Sword's activator, the red Mana Crystal immediately radiated a crimson light.
The red glow spread to the Mana Crystal in Erend's hand, attempting to engulf it.
As long as the red light could envelop the Mana Crystal, the Black Furnace Demon Sword would burn through its internal structure, breaking it down into pure Mana, which Erend could absorb.
Thanks to this ability, the Black Furnace Demon Sword had become essential to Erend's growth.
No other Pure Star-Type Armament had been able to do such a thing—at least, not before.
However, this situation differed from when she had helped Erend absorb from ordinary Mana Ore.
As the red glow tried to consume the Mana Crystal, it trembled violently, as though it sensed danger.
It resisted the Black Furnace Demon Sword, pushing its power back.
Unlike ordinary Mana Ore, Mana Crystals contained a will. When danger approached, they instinctively tried to survive, whereas Mana Ore would quietly burn and break apart.
This made Erend raise an eyebrow, and he muttered,
"Behave yourself."
As he spoke, golden texture flickered across his palm.
The Mana Crystal immediately froze, as if recognizing a higher authority, no longer daring to resist.
The Black Furnace Demon Sword's power surged into the crystal, burning and breaking it down, extracting its Mana.
A huge surge of pure Mana poured out and flowed into Erend's body, guided by the Black Furnace Demon Sword.
Though his body had previously grown unresponsive to ordinary Mana Ore due to overuse, this pure Mana reignited growth within him.
"Very good."
Erend's eyes gleamed as he silently focused inward.
The power within the Mana Crystal was astounding—not just abundant, but intensely pure.
Compared to a mountain of Mana Ore, a single Mana Crystal provided vastly superior results.
Even if the raw quantity of Mana was equal, the low purity of most ores made them ineffective beyond a certain threshold.
Mana Crystals, on the other hand, were high-quality and potent. The improvements they brought to his body and Astral Power were stark.
As the crystal dimmed and more than 90% of its power was drawn out, Erend realized this single experience had boosted him more than multiple rounds of Mana Ore absorption.
The sensation was intoxicating—so much so that it took the near-depletion of the crystal to snap him out of it.
"Stop, Black Furnace."
The Demon Sword's red light vanished at his command.
Holding the dull crystal, Erend spoke softly.
"I didn't want to be too cruel, so I've left you just enough power to barely hang on."
"You'll be weak for a while, but over time, you'll regain strength."
"Can you accept that?"
The Mana Crystal couldn't answer, but it radiated a feeling of gratitude—thankful for Erend's mercy.
This made Erend pause with a touch of guilt.
He had stripped something of nearly all its power, reduced it to weakness, yet it still thanked him. What villainy was this?
But he had no choice. He needed strength. He needed to make the most of each fantasy world. Until he became truly powerful, he couldn't afford sentimentality.
"Next."
He picked up another Mana Crystal and began again.
He repeated this process three times.
After the third, his body and Astral Power grew so much they became difficult to control.
"I need time to adapt."
As before, once he reached a point of instability, Erend paused his absorption.
"I'll return to the Fantasy Library after finishing all the Mana Crystals."
He adjusted his plan accordingly.
This wasn't the same Erend as before. He had tools to quickly adapt to new levels of power.
One of them was a Pure Star-Type Armament inside him: What's Wrong, formerly known as the Overwhelming Blood Scythe.
Erend planned to use What's Wrong's high-gravity ability to train himself and stabilize his power more quickly.
He summoned the activator from within and activated it—
For the next week, Erend remained in his room, using What's Wrong to generate intense gravity.
Over and over, he trained under these harsh conditions.
In a week, he succeeded. He fully absorbed all his Mana Crystals.
Of course, he still ensured each crystal retained enough energy to avoid shattering.
Once done, Erend handed the dim crystals to Charlotte and asked her to store them.
"It's time to leave."
Standing at the top floor of the dormitory, Erend glanced around the room.
After a moment, he shut his eyes, extending his consciousness outward.
Fantasy Library.
It was just as he had left it—unchanged.
At the edge of the recreational area, near a fountain, in front of a bookshelf, a floating book titled Game King: The Academy City on the Water gently bobbed in the air.
"Emima—" Suddenly, the floating book flashed with dazzling light.
A humanoid silhouette emerged inside the library.
The form solidified into Erend.
"...So I'm back?"
Erend opened his eyes, the last hint of confusion still fading from his face.
Before he could speak again, the will of the Fantasy Library greeted him.
[Detecting the return of the Administrator. Commencing settlement of this life experience.]
[Based on the uniqueness of this experience and the world's level of realism, the library will, using the Administrator's permissions, grant additional rewards.]
[Settlement in progress—]
[Settlement complete.]
[Starting reward distribution—]
As the message echoed in Erend's mind, a wave of invisible energy spread through the library.
"Emima!Emima!Emima!Emima!"
Books across the shelves began to glow.
After a few moments, one book shone more brilliantly than the rest, and from within it, a weapon emerged.
"That is—"
Erend stared in awe.
A spear.
It was massive—over two meters tall, longer than Erend was tall.
Its shaft gleamed blue, while golden spiral patterns floated and twisted up to the tip.
The tip itself was pure white, shining with a sacred light. Below it, the design formed a circular cross, radiating a mysterious allure.
This divine weapon floated toward him and settled in his grasp.
The moment Erend touched it, his administrator permissions activated, revealing its information.
Twilight Holy Spear: The legendary spear that once felled the Son of God. It contains the will of divinity, brims with sacred energy, and is the highest-ranking artifact—the first and most powerful God-Slaying Tool.