Multiverse: Library

In the dimly lit underground storage vault, green streams of light—pure Mana extracted from Manadytes—flowed around the room in a steady current.

Kaiser stood at the center, holding Ser-Veresta's activator.

His eyes remained shut as he bathed in the crimson glow emitted from the sword's Urm-Manadyte core, his presence taking on an almost otherworldly intensity.

The green Mana streams drifted around him, drawn in by the red radiance, slowly flowing into his body.

And as the energy entered his system—

He could feel it.

His strength rising.

His Prana reserves expanding.

Power surged through his body, radiating an aura far greater than what he had possessed before.

And surrounding him—

There were still countless Manadytes left.

This growth process could continue indefinitely.

As long as nothing went wrong…

"Hmm?"

Suddenly, Kaiser frowned.

His eyes snapped open.

"Stop for now, Ser-Veresta."

At his command, the red glow from Ser-Veresta's Urm-Manadyte dimmed.

Instantly—

The green streams of Mana vanished, dispersing into the air like mist.

Kaiser raised his hand, flexing his fingers experimentally.

"The power increase is too fast… If I keep going like this, I'll lose control over my body and Prana."

That was the issue.

His rapid ascent in strength had begun to outpace his ability to manage it.

If he continued absorbing Mana recklessly, he wouldn't be able to properly control his body—or his Prana.

"I need to adjust first, then continue later."

Realizing this, Kaiser made the rational decision—

He stopped chasing power blindly.

"Zing!"

The activator of Ser-Veresta flared to life.

A pure white blade took form, extending from its hilt.

Just like before, Kaiser channeled Prana into the weapon—

And immediately—

Black energy markings rose from the pristine blade.

These dark patterns coiled around the sword, spiraling into the red Urm-Manadyte core.

The moment they merged—

The transformation completed.

The once-white blade turned into a deep, jet-black sword of raw destruction.

Feeling the energy coursing through the weapon, Kaiser smirked.

"Right now… I can fully sustain Ser-Veresta at maximum output for dozens of seconds."

Previously, he could only maintain this power for a few attacks.

Now—

He had extended that limit several times over.

A significant improvement.

"Still, dozens of seconds is too short. There's no need to keep it at full power the whole time."

Thinking this through, Kaiser gradually reduced the Prana output.

Instantly—

The pitch-black blade began to fade.

Its darkness lightened—shifting to a deep purple hue.

Only then did the change stop.

"This… is Ser-Veresta's normal output, isn't it?"

Kaiser muttered to himself, observing the blade's new appearance.

In the original story, when the protagonist first obtained Ser-Veresta, this was its standard state.

The difference?

The protagonist couldn't control the sword's size, meaning he was forced to wield it as a massive greatsword.

Kaiser, however, had absolute mastery over its form.

Even with the same power output, he wielded a sleek, manageable longsword instead of a hulking blade.

"Even at this level, Ser-Veresta's power isn't something just anyone can handle."

It was a weapon that could burn through anything.

At full power, there were practically no defenses that could withstand a single swing.

Even in this normal state—

Regular Lux weapons would shatter instantly upon contact.

Only other Orga Lux weapons could endure a direct hit.

"This should be enough."

Satisfied, Kaiser nodded.

"At this level, I can sustain Ser-Veresta for over an hour."

That was more than enough for real combat scenarios.

And if he truly needed to—he could push it to maximum output for a short burst of devastating power.

"With my current abilities… I should be strong enough to enter the Named Charts now, right?"

The Named Charts—Seidoukan Academy's Ranking System

In Asterisk, every academy had its own ranking system.

The details varied between schools, but all of them had a structured combat-based hierarchy.

At Seidoukan Academy, this ranking system was known as the Named Charts.

It consisted of 72 slots, occupied by the top 72 strongest students in the academy.

And at the very top—

The first 12 ranks were recorded on the first page of the Named Charts.

These students were known as the Page One.

How to Rank Up?

Simple.

Duel someone with a rank—win—and take their spot.

In other words, the only way to enter the Named Charts was through combat.

Previously—

Kaiser wasn't even close to the rankings.

There were hundreds of students in Seidoukan's High School Division alone.

Including the Middle and University Divisions, that number skyrocketed.

Back then, Kaiser was merely "mid-tier" among them.

Not even in the top 200, let alone the top 72.

But now—

If he only considered raw stats—

He was strong enough.

He could make it into the Named Charts.

And if he factored in Ser-Veresta's power—

Even Page One students weren't out of reach anymore.

Kaiser was tempted.

He wanted to test his current strength.

"Come to think of it… The next Official Ranking Battle is coming up, isn't it?"

Asterisk's duel system allowed students to freely challenge each other.

However—

Under normal circumstances, duels required both parties to agree.

This meant that students in the Named Charts—especially those with high ranks—rarely accepted challenges.

After all, if they lost, they would lose their rank.

And in Seidoukan Academy, having a rank meant having privileges.

The Page One students, in particular, enjoyed massive benefits—

Such as the ability to instantly request an Orga Lux.

Unlike normal students, who had to go through lengthy application reviews, Page One members had priority access to Seidoukan's most powerful weapons.

So naturally—

Ranked students were very protective of their positions.

However—

To prevent students from hoarding their rankings and avoiding battles indefinitely—

The academy enforced a mandatory monthly tournament.

The Official Ranking Battle.

This event forced lower-ranked students to defend their spots from challengers—

And they could not refuse.

This was what Kaiser had referred to.

"Hmm…"

He raised his hand, summoning a holographic display in midair.

With a few taps, he pulled up the Official Ranking Battle schedule.

"Three days from now, huh?"

And the registration period would open tomorrow.

"This is perfect."

Three days was plenty of time to adjust to his new strength.

He would be fully prepared before stepping into the arena.

"And as for my first target…"

Kaiser opened the Named Charts, scanning through the rankings.

The rules allowed him to challenge any student one rank tier above him.

Since he was currently unranked, he could only challenge students outside of Page One—

But that was fine.

"Let's go all out, then."

Kaiser's eyes locked onto the first name listed on the second page of the Named Charts.

Without hesitation—

He reached forward—

And tapped the challenge button.