Rise of The Living Enchantment [LITRPG REGRESSION]

The slow tapping of a stick against a wooden floor filled the silent air. Aiden's ears picked it out, listening even while frozen within the [Sage]'s words. The [Sage]'s tapping did not end. Its rhythm remained, following a simple pattern.

It was further confirmation that the Order had something to do with the [Sage]s. Most of those who had absorbed the combat teachings of the Order well enough to be given the title of instructor had a similar… habit.

They tapped their weapons against something, or something against their weapons. It was always a rhythm, a cadence. Rarely did it ever have anything to do with the wielder.

Aiden did it, too. Sometimes he did it without even knowing.

Right now, he knew what cadence the [Sage] tapped his stick to. It was the beat of Aiden's heart.

He can either hear it, or he's watching my pulse somehow, he thought. He swallowed once. If your eyes were sharp enough—which mana could make them—you could see the slight pulse in a person's neck, the gentle beat, without having to be close to them.

He's tracking it.

Aiden tried to speed up his heart rate, breathing as fast as he could without any visible effect. Hopefully, the rise and fall of his chest would be veiled by the clothes he was wearing.

"I'm waiting," the [Sage] said.

He had told Aiden to call him Lao Bek, but Aiden just couldn't bring himself to identify him by the name. The old man did not look like a Lao Bek.

As for his rhythmic tapping against the ground, it was slowly picking up pace.

"Well," Aiden began slowly. "I heard talks of a place in Trackback that can help with training and leveling up."

An expression crossed Jang Su's face that Aiden failed to read.

"And what place is this?" the [Sage] asked, voice calm, somehow prepared.

"The catacombs…" Aiden watched slowly as he spoke. The rhythm of the [Sage]'s tapping faltered and Aiden added very quickly: "And the crystal cave."

Recognition flashed across Jang Su's eyes for a very short moment. It told Aiden all he needed to know. They were here for the Crystal Cave as well.

"You know of the Crystal Cave," the [Sage] mused. His stick continued to tap against the floor. He was still keeping track of Aiden's heart rate.

Aiden nodded. "I do."

"Do you also know what it houses?"

"I do." Aiden paused intentionally. "At least I know what it's supposed to house, but I was told that what it is supposed to house is currently not there. Something about seasons and time delays."

"But you are going there anyway?" the old man asked.

"For training. I hear there is something unique about the monsters that makes them difficult to handle."

The [Sage]'s gaze narrowed. "And your king told you this?"

"No, information brokers."

The [Sage] flipped the stick so that it went up from his hand instead of down. In this way, he concealed it behind his back.

He could still be tapping, Aiden warned himself. It wasn't impossible to tap the stick against his back, after all.

"Why are you using information brokers?" the man asked. "What about your king's informants?"

Aiden shook his head.

There was a suddenly tenser moment of silence. It deepened in the absence of a verbal answer.

A smile touched the [Sage]'s lips. It widened. It split into a knowing grin. Then it morphed into an excited grin.

The man spun, rounding on Jang Su with the same smile.

Jang Su's expression grew equal parts worried and confused. "What?" he asked. "You're creeping me out."

"I have just made a decision in my mind," the [Sage] declared.

Jang Su groaned. "Please say it's not about me."

"It is definitely about you."

"I refuse."

The [Sage] barked an entertained laugh. "Like you have a choice." He turned back to Aiden. "You left your king, did you not?"

Aiden's nod was slow.

"And you took one of his knights with you." His smile only seemed to widen. "You're the runaway summoned. You claimed the loyalty of a knight—a [Knight of the Crown] at that. You are Aiden Lacheart."

He took a step closer, forcing Aiden a step back.

"Redeemer of the unique quest in the cave of Naranoff."

Another step forward forced Aiden back.

"You are the [Hand of Mercy]…"

Another step forward.

"Unraveller of the Queen's plan."

Aiden stepped back.

The [Sage]'s smile turned into something feral, something euphoric. He laughed, hard and loud. It pierced the silence of the night, but not as much as his next words.

"[Knight Killer]!" he declared, and the air in the room shook.

[Achievement unlocked!]

You have gained the recognition of power, gaining victory over an enemy no one would ever believe you capable of slaying. You have gained the attention of a being beyond your mortal ken. You have been declared to the world. Annunciated by your own feat.

[You have earned a Tethered title!]

[Knight Killer]

[Effect: +12% increase in damage when facing opponents with the Knight title.]

[Effect: 12% damage resistance when facing opponents with the Knight title.]

…

[Warning!]

This title cannot exist alongside the title of Knighthood.

…

[Alert!]

You have received your first Tethered Title!

[Tethered Title].

Titles are gifts granted by the very act of achieving feats considered great. Tethered Titles, however, are granted by single entities, beings worthy of bestowing them by the very value of their existence. Tethered titles are bound to those capable of annunciating you. Only five hold this authority.

[Rejoice Prisoner#234502385739 for you have been Annunciated]

Aiden had never heard of an annunciation before. He had never heard of a Tethered title either.

"Wow," the [Sage] said, truly surprised. "I thought that last one might've been an exaggerated rumor. Maybe you helped or something like that. You really stood toe to toe with a Bandiv knight and killed him?"

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

Jang Su got up from his seat, shocked. "You did?"

Aiden was still a little stumped by the title. He hadn't expected to run into something he'd never heard about in his past life, even as a member of the Order. Monarchs could give titles, but not titles bound by their existence or to them. They gave titles bound by their titles as monarchs.

Or you gained a title from the collective speculations or belief of a large number of people, like his title of [Hand of Mercy] that the Naranoff Lord had helped him get by spreading news of his duel against Belle.

But this? This was unheard of. Somehow he kind of blamed himself for never having thought about the possibility. And only five people? Was the interface talking about the [Sage]s? If yes, then it meant that the title of [Sage] was recognized by the interface, which begged another question: Could anyone become a [Sage]?

Were there criteria to be met? If yes, then what were they?

"Aiden," Jang Su pressed. "You killed a knight?"

Aiden pulled himself back to reality by force of will and nodded. "He was trying to kill my friend."

The [Sage]'s eyes moved in their sockets. He gave Jang Su a judging gaze.

"I can't go around killing knights, Master."

"I don't know…" the [Sage] shrugged. "You can at least try."

The whole thing still wasn't making sense to Aiden. To gain a title such as this, you needed to kill a large number of knights in one go or a very large number of knights over the course of your life.

How did a [Sage] bypass all that and enforce the title upon him?

"Wouldn't have worked if it wasn't true," the [Sage] said, reading his expression. "But don't feel bad. From what I learnt, he wasn't really a good person. He kind of had it coming."

Aiden wanted to ask how he knew but kingdoms had spies in other kingdoms. There was no such thing as true secrets in a castle. The Order had taught him that.

"I'm sorry about getting carried away," the [Sage] continued. "I'm just so impressed by the fact that you were able to run away from my old friend. Not a lot of people are allowed to do that. What do you say to a friendly wager?"

Jang Su took an intentional step back. It placed him out of the [Sage]'s line of sight. Once there, he began shaking his head aggressively.

"Sadly," the old man continued. "This is not a request."

Finally.

This was what Aiden knew [Sage]s for. The arrogance. The authoritativeness. They willed it and accepted no arguments. Your opinions be damned. He didn't like it, but it was familiar.

Familiar was good.

"I will face you with no skills whatsoever," the [Sage] went on, "and my stat level will be limited to that of Jang Su. You, however, are allowed to use anything to your advantage including your skills and weapons of your choice. In fact, anything in this room is up for grabs. I'll only use my stick. How does that sound?"

"Like something I wouldn't want to take," Aiden said slowly.

The [Sage] smacked his head. "I totally forgot about how kids your age are. There has to be something in it for you. You get to borrow Jang Su for the duration of your stay here."

"I am not a bargaining chip, Master," Jang Su said, but didn't really protest.

Aiden shook his head. "Something tells me that fighting you would be a problem for me."

"How about I give you a mystery item if you wait here in Trackback for another week?"

Jang Su opened his mouth to protest but stopped himself.

"I'm not much of a gambler," Aiden said.

The [Sage] scratched his head, taking a moment to think. "A mystery fighting technique?"

"That will require me to be here longer than I want." Aiden shook his head.

"Jang Su for a year?"

"Again," Jang Su said with a sigh. "Not a bargaining chip."

"I've got it." The [Sage] snapped his fingers. "You get Jang Su for the duration of your stay here. I'll throw in a demonic mana crystal that I guarantee will help you with your arm. And…" he raised a finger to stop Aiden from talking even though Aiden hadn't tried to say anything. "I'll teach you how to evolve your Class, if you win."

Aiden paused halfway ready to reject.

How to evolve my class?

He knew there were some classes that could be evolved, like the [Soldier] class which could be evolved to [Knight] or [Berserker] or [Warrior] or other possible growths. But unique classes like his weren't upgradable. Like most of the classes on Nastild, you could not evolve a unique class because it had no evolution.

It was like saying that he could evolve the [Knight] class. The [Weaver] class, even if his wasn't unique, was also a class that could not be evolved.

As for how the man knew his class, Aiden chalked it up to one simple answer. He was a [Sage].

"Evolve my class," he said slowly, finally tempted.

The [Sage] nodded, sensing his victory.

"And you know my class?"

"[Weaver]," the man answered. "And it's a unique class, too. You don't just make baskets."

Aiden took his lower lip between thumb and forefinger and dragged. The offer wasn't just tempting, it was impossible. Classes and titles were part of the things he'd researched when he was in the Order, obsessed with finding a way to be stronger than just a mere [Enchanter] as well as save Ted from his title of [Demon King].

He thought he knew everything there was to know about the concept of classes. He knew every evolving class.

You also thought you knew every kind of title until today.

"You're not lying to me just so that you can beat me up, right?" Aiden asked.

The [Sage] raised his left hand. "Scout's honor."

Jang Su sighed. "Not a scout, Master."

Aiden wasn't sure how to feel about Jang Su's dynamic with the [Sage]. He was used to powerful brooding. The strong were stoic and daunting. The [Master of the Order] was a different case, though. But everybody in the Order just assumed he was crocked in the head or something.

Still, the easy relationship between the [Sage] and Jang Su was unimportant in this moment. Aiden could evolve his class.

"To what?"

"Explain," the [Sage] said.

"Evolve my class to what?" Aiden clarified.

"Not telling. Like every other evolution, all you need to know is that it will be stronger than what it is right now."

"But only if I win."

The [Sage] nodded.

"What if I lose?"

"Then you get Jang Su and the demonic crystal."

"Where are we going to get a demonic crystal?" Jang Su asked, voice suspicious.

"That's easy," the [Sage] said, nonchalant. "There's one in the vault."

Jang Su's jaw dropped. "The Queen said that it's a family heirloom. Kingdoms have gone to war for those things."

Aiden knew what kingdoms had done for demonic mana crystals on this side of Nastild throughout its history. However, in the not-too-distant future, there would be far more demonic mana crystals than they could count.

So, the demonic mana crystal wasn't really of any interest to him.

Wait, heirloom? A frown touched his brows. In his past life, the battle between the people of Mba-Chukwu and Nel Quan had happened because the king of Mba-Chukwu had been trying to get his hands on their heirloom.

"It's just a mana crystal," the [Sage] said nonchalantly. "They can replace it in due time."

"So, you're saying that something that big can be found just lying around?" Jang Su said in a tone that said that it was not possible.

"Just how big are we talking exactly?" Aiden asked.

"Almost as large as this room," Jang Su answered.

That was big. That was really big.

"Stop focusing on the unimportant and focus on the prize, [Knight Killer]," the [Sage] said.

He was right. Aiden didn't have any real hope for the class evolution, but it didn't mean that he couldn't try. The [Sage] had already given himself more than enough handicaps.

Jang Su and a demonic crystal that can fix my arm.

Now that he thought about it, did he really want to fix his arm? It had granted him a skill that seemed like a perfect counter to Ted's manifesting skill. That ensured that if Ted turned bad, he would have the ability to make a difference. In his past life, Ted had grown strong enough to become a one-man army. He could summon familiars in droves. A nigh infinite army of deaths and rebirths for a limited period of time.

Now, Aiden had the option of completely banishing them away.

The arm also boosted his skills. Fixing the arm felt more like a loss than a gain.

"And you will be trying to kill me?" he asked the [Sage]. As tempting as all of it was, none of it was worth risking his life. If a [Sage] was trying to kill him, then he would die.

The old man shook his head. "But I will be trying to knock you out. If I kill you, how are you going to get the other rewards?"

Aiden couldn't find a reason to refuse. The temptation of evolving his class was too strong even though the criteria for it was the impossible.

"Can I ask for a replacement of one of the rewards?"

"You're really considering this?" Jang Su asked, flabbergasted.

"Shoo," the [Sage] told him, chasing him away with a discreet shooing motion. "Rule breakers are talking." To Aiden, he added, "Which one would you like to replace?"

"The crystal."

"Oh," the [Sage] paused. "That's surprising. I thought it would be Jang Su. What would you like in place of it? Does anything come to mind?"

This did not feel like talking to a [Sage].

"A boon," Aiden said, after much thought. "Your protection."

It would suffice to keep him and the others safe for a while.

The [Sage] snorted. "No. By virtue of what you are, I can't give you a boon like that. Others can, but I can't."

Aiden wondered what that was about. [Sage]s were the most powerful beings on both sides of Nastild. Why they chose to remain on the human side of Nastild remained a mystery to those who knew about them. But to learn that there was something that everybody could do except them was… worrying.

"Since you don't have any interest in fixing your arm, how about I give you something that will work well with it?" the [Sage] asked.

Aiden cocked a brow. "Which is?"

"A world enchantment not limited by level," the old man grinned.

Aiden blinked. The man could not be serious. There were no world enchantments not limited by level. Aiden knew, because he knew everything there was to know about enchantments. Known as lesser spells to some, enchantments were ranked from lesser to normal to advanced to greater to world.

Only those who sat at the top of the level hierarchy had the ability to use world enchantments. And they were rare. History claimed that a single world enchantment could create a hurricane strong enough to wipe out an entire kingdom, create countrywide earthquakes, even raise the dead.

"There are no world enchantments not restricted by level," he found himself saying, with lacking conviction.

He had spent his entire life never reaching the requirement needed to engrave a world enchantment. In fact, he'd only had the luxury of seeing three world enchantments and he hadn't even been able to hold the images in his mind for more than four seconds. Not enough time to even try to engrave them.

"There are two," the [Sage] said confidently. "And I'm offering to teach you one."

Aiden's eyes moved around in their sockets as he thought about it. He had come here wondering if he could borrow Jang Su, but here he was being offered the man on a silver platter, being given for free. But now, Jang Su was the least of his interests.

A world enchantment he could use would not just be a dream come true, it would be a boon. To wield the power to raze an entire kingdom to the ground, even if as a one-time use, was beyond comprehension.

It would be a trump card, no matter what it was. Something he had once said to Torat in this life came to mind as he watched the oxymoron of excited nonchalance on the [Sage]'s face. What was insignificant to the powerful was often powerful to the insignificant.

[Sage]s sure know how to drive a hard bargain.

Light came alive at the fingertips of Aiden's hands. They were like refractions from shards of a broken mirror.

The [Sage] smiled. He took a single step back. "So, what say you?"

Aiden stood, arms to his side, armed. The light was gone, leaving behind his weapons of choice. In one hand was a longsword of the Bandiv design. In the other hand was a battle axe.

"Jang Su," he said in the end. "Give us the room."