Chapter 185: Unlocking Potential (3)

"Hah! Don’t get cocky! That was just a warm-up! I was only testing your defenses! We’ll have our real battle when I get stronger, just you wait!"

Adrian looked down at his friend’s smiling face and shook his head in amusement. He had helped Karl up to his feet and gave him a healing pill. Serena’s healing was the finishing touch that made Karl full of energy once again, and it seemed that despite his swift and brutal defeat, his spirit hadn’t dampened in the slightest.

"I’ll be waiting," Adrian said with a sigh before turning his attention to Serena.

"There’s one more thing I want to do, Rena. Would you mind coming closer? I promise this won’t hurt, and it will only take a moment."

Serena walked over to him without hesitation, her eyes full of the same unwavering trust she had shown earlier. "Of course. I know you’d never do anything to actually hurt me, Adrian."

Adrian smiled in acknowledgement before gently placing the palm of his hand on her forehead. He closed his eyes, focusing his intent and issuing a command to the System. A few seconds later, a series of notifications pinged silently in his mind.

[Knowledge Catalog deployed.]

[Transferring Data... Transfer Complete!]

Serena opened her eyes slowly and a gasp escaped her lips. She touched her head in shock and her expression was one of disbelief.

A torrent of various light spells had flooded her mind and settled within it, waiting for her to access them at any time.

"How...? ...This is impossible."

Adrian didn’t answer her question, only choosing to say, "Go through them when you have time, and try learning to cast them. There are spells up to the 5-Star tier there, but these are all I have at the moment. I’ll get some more when I visit Eldryth."

Serena didn’t question Adrian further on the impossible nature of the transfer, as she had long come to accept that her brother was capable of almost anything. Instead, her focus latched onto his last word. "Eldryth?"

Adrian nodded. "Yes. I plan on visiting the Elves to build up our relations. It’s a necessary diplomatic step, especially after the unkind war that the former king imposed on them." His expression grew more serious. "And there’s another cause for concern. There are still many unanswered questions, such as the mark that appeared on your back. I’m hoping to gain a lot of information from my visit there."

He considered telling them about the world-ending threat that loomed in the distant future but decided against it. The weight of that knowledge was too heavy to place on their shoulders right now.

They would find out eventually as they absorbed into the upper echelons.

Karl and Serena nodded their heads in understanding, while Adrian’s eyes darted to his System interface.

[Time to complete upgrade: 0:03:51]

It was almost time. With nothing else to discuss, he knew he had to start leaving. He began to conclude their meeting. He first looked to Karl,

"How would you feel about acquiring a new spear?"

Karl was taken by surprise by the question. He knew firsthand how incredible Adrian’s inventions were. The offer was incredibly tempting, a chance to wield a weapon of unparalleled quality.

But he couldn’t help but hesitate, his gaze falling to the simple steel spear he had picked up from the sand. Finally, he shook his head in refusal.

"Thanks for the offer, buddy. But I think I’m okay with this one." He turned it in his hands. "We’ve been through a lot together. I wouldn’t want to betray it by getting a new one."

Adrian furrowed his brows, sizing up his friend’s earnest expression. Inside his mind, however, a different thought was forming. The way Karl respected his weapon, viewing it not as a disposable tool but as a living partner that couldn’t be replaced, was admirable.

It was a good spirit, and Adrian didn’t want him to compromise on his values. So, he easily threw him another offer.

"That’s not a problem," he said. "I’ll upgrade the spear instead. I’ll retain its originality and structure, of course. How does that sound?"

Karl’s eyes shone the moment he heard Adrian.

"What?! You can do that? For real?" His excitement was evident. "Of course! Yes! I’d love for you to upgrade it!"

He immediately walked closer and handed it over with both hands, like a sacred offering. "Thanks a whole lot, bro!"

Adrian took the spear from his friend, spinning it around in his hand while his [Analysis] took note of its material composition, weight distribution, and structural flaws.

He didn’t respond to Karl’s appreciation and instead posed him a question of his own. "So, do you have any special requests in mind?"

Karl looked interested, tapping his chin in thought. "Well... a new look wouldn’t be bad. Maybe you could change the color into something more imposing? Something that strikes fear into the hearts of my enemies." He shrugged. "I don’t know, what else is there?"

Adrian had to physically restrain himself from smacking Karl across the back of the head. After all that, he was treating him like a common painter. It made him wonder why Karl would be so excited just for him to improve the spear’s look.

He didn’t let his frustration show and only reacted simply.

"Well, for a start," he began flatly, "I could re-forge the blade with a better alloy to make it far more durable and sharp enough to cleave through anything. I could enchant the shaft to allow for variable length extension up to five meters, install a magic crystal system that allows you to fire concentrated blasts of mana, and etch micro-runes along the surface that would allow it to detect ambient mana fluctuations and warn you of magical traps. It could also be equipped with boosters that lets you launch it at your opponents, an explosive tip, or a simple grappling hook. It all depends on what you want."

Karl scratched the back of his head as Adrian spoke, his eyes glazing over with each new, impossibly complex feature.

"Uhm... Adrian," he said slowly, looking utterly lost. "I think I’m okay with my spear remaining a spear."