For nearly every office worker in society, vacation time was a source of comfort and what made living worthwhile. It was a magical period of rejuvenation, and that was not only true for South Koreans. Even here, it was also a priceless and exquisite delight for Pantalasa, the elemental king, who was happily enjoying his time off in Lloyd's manaheart.
Lying on his stomach in a corner of the manaheart, he was sprawled on a sunbed made of frigid mana. With a glass of snow juice with ice by his side, he enjoyed the freezing temperature of the pool. Pantalasa thought, "Ahh, how nice. This is what I am talking about. I had no idea that life could be this enjoyable. Ehem. Yes, yes." He could not be any happier. It felt like he was experiencing the happiest period of time in his life.
I can't believe I didn't experience this kind of joy in life until now.
He looked back on his life from the conception of the Pantara Range to the present day. Throughout his tens of millions of years in existence, Pantalasa didn't have a single moment of peace. His life was filled with constant worrying about the potential harm and environmental changes that could befall the range. He never once shied away from his duty and responsibilities.
I've never been able to rest like this before.
At first, he felt awkward about taking a break from his vacation and lounging around in Lloyd Frontera's manaheart. He questioned whether this was the correct course of action. However, now...
My dear Lloyd! Please live a long life! Please!
There was only one way for him to extend this lovely vacation of his. Lloyd needed to live a long life. Only then would he be able to enjoy the beautiful ice crystal, the Heart of Winter, for longer.
"I lay my eyes on the Heart of Winter each time, and... It looks awesome each time."
Pantalasa rolled over and shifted his eyes above him, staring at the ice crystal reflecting in the manaheart's sky. With awe in his eyes, he beheld the Heart of Winter. The latter returned the former's sentiments by showering him with an even colder gust of air.
"Yes, this is what I'm talking about..." He swiveled around on the sunbed, enjoying the frigid air from the Heart of Winter. He secretly wished for this leisurely time of happiness to last as long as possible while drifting off to sleep.
Bzzt! Suddenly, he was roused from his slumber by a small, faint noise that came from the manaheart's sky. It was an unsettling sound that he had never heard before here.
"Hmm?" He slightly opened his eyes, wondering what the noise could be. It sounded like something had cracked. He was about to go back to slumber, thinking that he had misheard, when...
Crash! A hole appeared in the manaheart's sky. Then, an enormous amount of heat started to come down from it!
"Ack!!" He leaped to his feet in terror as a wave of searing heat crashed down onto the icy water.
Fwoosh.... He was suddenly attacked by a devastating shockwave along with a wave of steam as cold and hot air collided together.
"Eek!"
He flung his body by reflex and got down to the ground, propping up the sunbed to protect himself.
Sizzle... As he saw the sunbed made with the mana of icy air melt like ice cream in the summer sun.
“...”
This was serious. This was a nightmare. This was a disaster!
"Argh! Eek! What's going on?"
Sensing danger, Pantalasa gathered the frigid energy in his body and summoned a blizzard with all his might.
Fwoosh! The glass of snow juice that he was leisurely sipping on and his happy vacation plans were blown away by the blizzard. He let out a few icy tears at this sight all the while trying to shield himself from the scorching heat.
"Ack! Argh!!!"
He felt extremely wronged by this sudden calamity and felt even more so as he thought about it. What in the world was going on now? All he did was enjoy the first vacation of his life. How did he deserve to get into this kind of awful disaster? Pantalasa became more upset the more he thought about it.
"Ack…!" He cried out in anger as he jumped around to avoid stepping on the heat. "Lloyd Fronteraaaa!"
♣️
Ding Dong!
[The Asrahan Core Technique Skill Option ⑤: Your Supercharge time is up.]
As the dinging noise pierced into his ears, there were messages simultaneously appearing in front of his eyes.
Ziiing... With the Supercharge skill coming to an end and his mana circle's fierce rotations subsiding, Lloyd slowly opened his eyes. He looked down at the inside of the chest he was clutching.
It's done.
The chest was empty. Upon realizing that the sunny marble had vanished, further messages began to appear before his eyes.
[You have absorbed the Tears of Summer, a divine item that possesses its own consciousness.]
[The Tears of Summer has an immense amount of influence over your manaheart.]
[The frigid air that accumulated in your manaheart as a side effect of absorbing the Heart of Winter is disappearing.]
This was the message Lloyd had been waiting for so long. His confrontation with the angel, mind games with the queen and the House of Peers, and railroad construction in the rough mountain range had all been for him to hear these words. And now, it was finally done. He could feel the success of his work throughout his entire body.
Haah...
In the recesses of his heart, a strange sensation started to bloom from one side of his chest. It initially felt like a small candle was lit inside him, but the warm sensation quickly intensified, becoming more like a torch to a bonfire until it burned like a furnace. The feeling spread like wildfire and engulfed his manaheart.
This reminds me of those rotating devices in salons that emit heat on your hair after it's treated for a perm.
In the same way that the sun and a hot pack thaw your icy fingers, Lloyd could feel the Tears of Summer that he had just consumed with Javier beginning to impact his manaheart. Heat blanketed his chest, heart, and manaheart like someone had held his hand or gave him a hand warmer in the middle of winter at an active construction site.
The cold air is disappearing.
The cold air, which had been accumulating inside him like cancer every time he used the Heart of Winter, began to dissipate. He felt refreshed as if he was chugging a bowl of hot soup on a winter's night. Eventually, he was met with a series of even more welcoming messages.
Ding dong.
[The frigid air of the Heart of Winter that had been lingering in your manaheart is now gone.]
[The power of season laden in the Tears of Summer seeped into your manaheart. This experience is having a strong effect on your manaheart skill.]
[A new manaheart skill option has been opened.]
[Manaheart Skill Option ⑦: Momentary Precognition]
What?
Lloyd squinted his eyes.
Momentary Precognition?
Lloyd was not surprised about gaining a new skill. He had anticipated it when he absorbed the Heart of Winter the last time.
I earned the Time Freeze skill with the Heart of Winter. And now... Momentary Precognition? Is it some sort of foresight ability?
He began to carefully read the skill description.
[Skill Option ⑦: Momentary Precognition - The power of the Tears of Summer in your manaheart can accelerate the time axis recognized by your soul. If this happens, you can take a sneak peek of what will happen.]
[Additional Information (1): The limit of your prediction is contingent on the size and volume of your manaheart and mana. Currently, you can see up to five seconds into the future.]
[Additional Information (2): Each time you activate the skill, the Tears of Summer will emit a massive amount of heat. The heat will accumulate in your body immediately, and your body temperature will increase by 1°C.]
[Additional Information (3): Overuse of the skill may dramatically increase your body temperature and negatively affect your health and life.]
[Additional Information (4): If you set the skill to activate automatically in times of danger, you will automatically see the future in situations that jeopardize your safety and life.]
[Would you like to configure it to run automatically?]
[YES / NO]
Okay...
After finishing the message, Lloyd clenched his hand. The skill he earned was better than he had expected it to be.
I can see five seconds into the future? This is amazing.
Some might think it was nothing, but to Lloyd, it was something. He thought he hit the jackpot, in fact.
This can be used in countless different ways. It could help me avoid dying in a dangerous situation.
The fact was that Lloyd had accomplished practically everything. His family was secure, and his future was brighter than the sun. The only assignment remaining was destiny, and once that was completed, his entire life would be paradise.
But still, you never know what kind of misfortune might happen to you.
Even if he was the swordmaster, history was littered with swordmasters who died at the hands of bad luck and misfortune. Lloyd was no exception. So, this type of safe skill was a good one to have.
The more, the better.
Lloyd chose "YES" because he believed that safety was the most important factor.
[Skill Option ⑦: You have set the skill to automatically activate in times of danger.]
Great.
Lloyd then turned to the side, satisfied to have solved the Heart of Winter situation and acquired a handy skill.
"Is it done, sir?" Javier asked as if he had been waiting for Lloyd to be done. His eyes were glowing.
"Yeah," Lloyd replied with glee.
"Did it go well?"
"What do you think?"
"I can tell from that distinct smile of yours that you are satisfied enough."
"My smile?"
"Yes?" replied Javier in a cold and sharp way. "There is a certain smile you put on when your plans go smoothly. However, it looks like you are oblivious to it."
"Yeah? How do I smile?" asked Lloyd with anticipation.
"It makes me want to distance myself from you the moment I see it."
“...”
"But it is all right," comforted Javier. "No need to get depressed."
"Why do you say that?"
"Well, you do not have many people you are close to in the first place."
"Hey."
"Yes?"
"That's harsh. You may not know it, but I've got a lot of people in my social circle."
"Oh, you do?" Javier asked.
"Of course."
"Then tell me, Young Master."
"Huh?"
"I mean, name the people in your social circle."
“...”
"They cannot be your parents and brother, can they?"
“...”
"Or was I the first person you thought of?"
“...”
"I feel sorry for you. Tsk, tsk."
"Hey," called Lloyd seriously.
"Yes?"
"Thank you."
"Come again?"
"How about you just accept my gratitude, and we can call it even..."
"Hmph."
Lloyd trembled briefly as it appeared Javier had become a master at pulverizing one's ego. Despite the latter's talent for throwing truth bombs, he felt appreciative.
I wouldn't have dared to absorb the Tears of Summer without him.
The same thing happened when he absorbed the Heart of Winter. At first, he thought he accomplished it all by himself, but after some reflection, he realized that was not the case.
It was only after I absorbed it that I learned about its terrifying force.
That is when he understood there was no way he could have absorbed it on his own. He concluded that Javier's help must have been used to make it happen.
And I was right.
That was why Lloyd immediately sought Javier for assistance in absorbing the Tears of Summer, and the latter was happy to oblige.
He really is incredible.
Lloyd felt reassured by Javier's presence as he gazed at him. He could not have gotten this far without the knight. Therefore, he did not want to lose Javier and hoped they would keep bickering with each other for eternity.
"Hey! Lloyd Frontera!"
Lloyd was quietly making a wish to himself when an enraged voice from Pantalasa emerged from the corner of his manaheart.
