Healing System

[Michael's POV]

'Rowan sure did not disappoint, now did he?' Michael asked the system with a smirk as he took a bite of a lamb chop, one that seemed to be covered in gold and infused with mana, giving it a richer taste.

Yeah, I didn't expect him to give you 13 million for a simple commission like that. I guess the amount of money he'll make from the government will be astronomical.

'I don't care; 13 million is a lot more than I ever had in either of my lives,' he said as he moved on to another dish. It was a several-meter-long fish covered in a bubbly substance that also contained mana, emitting a tantalizing aroma.

Without hesitation, he took a bite, the extremely refined texture melting in his mouth.

'God, I love being rich.'

However, his dining did not last long as he sensed two powerful mana signatures approaching. One was Amanda, while the other was definitely Rebecca. It seemed like they had finally made up.

He had honestly expected it to take much longer, considering it looked like they wouldn't stop fighting any time soon just before he left.

The two women entered the restaurant, and he quickly sped up his pace, finishing the rest of the fish in mere moments, even using mana to help him eat faster.

"Michael..." Rebecca's voice resounded from behind him, sounding a bit disappointed. He couldn't blame her; after all, he hadn't shared this delicious dish with her.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

I don't think that's why she's mad.

'No shit.'

Amanda walked up to his table and sat directly across from him before announcing in a low voice, "Finish your food already. The little excursion I mentioned is happening soon."

'Oh, right... That's why I came here in the first place, isn't it?' The food had momentarily made Michael forget, but he quickly gathered his wits and wiped his mouth, finally finishing the delicious yet expensive meal.

The two women had been arguing for an hour, and in that time, he managed to visit 14 restaurants. This was his last one. Altogether, he had spent nearly 1 million out of the 13 million. The incredibly delicious food was very expensive.

But nonetheless, he allowed himself to splurge a little. After all, until just a few hours ago, he had been completely broke, eating whatever the academy fed him. The food in this world was much better than what he'd had at the academy as well.

It seemed that, despite their funding, acquiring good cooks was a challenge.

"Are we heading out now?" Michael asked, and Amanda immediately nodded, standing up and walking out of the restaurant.

He had already paid for everything in advance, so he simply followed her, with Rebecca in tow.

Rebecca had once again changed her appearance, now looking very plain with brown hair and brown eyes—definitely not someone you'd remember in a crowded city like this.

"How do you feel?" he asked with a worried tone.

Rebecca smiled in response and walked beside him, ruffling his hair with her hand. "I'm fine. You don't have to worry so much about me. I'm stronger than you, after all."

"If you say so." Michael shrugged, though he would definitely not stop worrying.

However, one thing made his concerns grow. The Evangelist was mostly an unknown. There were many powerful people there, some of whom could potentially do something sinister.

Such as sending an operative down and monitoring her from a distance, trying to extract as much information as possible.

It seemed plausible. After all, most of the other Evangelists were not mind-controlled. Only she was.

But at the end of the day, if Rebecca was really going along with Amanda, that meant she was likely heading to the other world. And he couldn't forget about Fafnir. He was like the guardian of Vivum, even if he failed last time.

Michael followed Amanda until they eventually ended up back at the elevator leading to another part of the city. It seemed obvious who they were going to meet.

As the three of them stood on the elevator, descending, he noticed Rebecca's hair and eye color were shifting, almost like a rainbow. However, she didn't seem affected beyond that.

She uses a very small amount of mana to disguise herself. It's hard for most people to detect, but since the amount is so low, any distortion could disrupt it.

'I see.' Michael glanced at her once more before the elevator finally arrived on the other side.

"Rebecca, fix your hair..." he said with a sigh. Her hair color remained the same rainbow hue it had been in the elevator, though it was no longer fluctuating.

"Oh..." She grabbed a strand of her hair and noticed the mess. Immediately, a small wave of mana swept over her body, and her appearance returned to what it had been previously.

"Don't act suspicious. Just keep walking until we reach the cathedral," Amanda said, walking towards the city without even looking back.

"Alright. Say, are the others participating in that tournament or whatever?" he asked, following her.

"No. Thanks to your little stunt, they postponed the tournament by a couple of days. Look on the bright side—you can compete against the children." She snickered at him. It was obvious she found it funny that he would attend such a minor tournament.

After all, most third-year students, even the talented ones, had yet to form their own mana cores.

Despite that, Michael had high hopes. Even if he wasn't as enthusiastic as he wanted to be, he might see something interesting—something that could inspire a skill or two.

Or you could just practice mana control or absorption. Didn't you already have an idea of how it worked?

'I thought I did, but when I tried it out, I nearly blew my hand off...' Michael sighed. He had come up with a theory on how to perform mana absorption at a basic level. However, a problem arose when he tested it.

It seemed simple—channel a spell and leave it incomplete. Provide just enough mana to almost form it, but not fully—99% instead of 100%.

The idea was that the 99% acted as a starting line for surrounding mana. The moment that mana interacted with the spell, it would increase in size rapidly, bypassing its previously set limits.

However, at some point, it became difficult to control. The mana kept increasing, disrupting his flow until it finally exploded right in front of him.

Safe to say, if he hadn't had a shield ready, he likely would've lost his arm... again.

But he could tell he was close. He just needed to find the exact limit of his control, then complete the spell by adding the remaining 1%. The absorbed mana would apply a large amplification, potentially allowing him to replicate Heavenly Judgment or even make it a viable combat skill.

They walked through the city, catching a few glances here and there. His appearance stood out since he was supposed to be an eye-catching Saint, promoting Vivum's traditions.

It didn't help that they were probably going to attempt an assassination. At least, that was the conclusion Michael had reached.

Finally, they arrived near the cathedral. Immediately, he noticed two red dots scrambling on his map, eventually joining the other green dots.

Rebecca put on another disguise, changing her hair and eye color to pure black before heading toward the cathedral's side.

Amanda turned to him and began explaining. "I already debriefed Rebecca. Don't worry. As for you, your main task is to act as bait. We need to locate the traitors first. After that, leave the rest to me."

Michael simply nodded, taking one last glance at his map. For some reason, one of the red dots seemed familiar, though he couldn't quite identify their mana.

Still, he had an ominous feeling.

'It couldn't be him... Right?'