Chapter 128: I’m a Spirit, Boy, Not a Ghost! (bonus - )

Chapter 128: Chapter 128: I’m a Spirit, Boy, Not a Ghost! (bonus Chapter)

"How many crystals are we betting exactly." Varkesh’s eyes narrowed as he felt like punching this lazy bastard.

"Let’s start at a hundred with my bet going to Group Seven." Garrick grinned wide.

"ONLY ONE HUNDRED? I’LL PUT DOWN TWO HUNDRED!" Brannoc laughed loud.

"Of course you will," Vespera sighed.

"Excellent," Garrick said pointing.

"Brannoc’s in for two. Anyone else?"

"Three," Varkesh said, arms still crossed.

"On Group Two."

"Three? That’s it? I thought you were confident. Are you broke?" Garrick blinked at him.

"You only put a hundred, so why are you piping up Garrick?" Varkesh’s eyes went flat and dangerous.

"Okay then how about I put four hundred on Adrian for the individual rankings."

"Four hundred?"

"Yep."

"You don’t even believe he’ll win."

"I believe he’ll perform well and I like money more than I like being right." Garrick shrugged infuriatingly pleasant about it.

Maerwynn allowed herself the small smile and Garrick caught it instantly.

"There it is the legendary gambler Maerwynn Cross’s smile that I’ve only ever seen twice before, so how much are you putting?"

"Don’t make me regret showing it a third time."

"Too late, I’m thoroughly enjoying myself."

"I’ll match your three hundred." She looked at Adrian’s feed, as all groups feeds were being shown on their own screens simultaneously.

"Supporting Adrian?"

"I’m supporting a student from my own class."

"Maer is so supportive." Vespera laughed.

’Maer is so caring and loving, supporting and believing in her own students!’ She screamed internally.

"And you," Maerwynn said turning the question back on her.

Vespera studied Group 2’s feed a moment and decided to bet on her own students like Maer.

"Twenty five on Group Two."

’Lucky me, my class students are the top ones here.’ She smiled.

"Only twenty five?" Brannoc asked.

"I prefer quality wagers to loud ones."

Brannoc apparently taking this as a personal challenge slammed his hand down again.

"Then I’ll put ANOTHER two hundred on group 5!"

"You already put two hundred down." Garrick stared at him.

"And now I’m adding three more!" Brannoc laughed adding another hundred more.

"You’re betting against your own earlier bet’s logic."

Brannoc paused, visibly doing the math, then grinned wide enough to show every tooth.

"NO! I’M BETTING THAT MY STUDENTS DO WELL!"

"That’s not how any of this works."

"I believe he understands the rules perfectly, he simply doesn’t care." Vespera’s tail swayed, unbothered.

"EXACTLY!"

Varkesh’s jaw tightened, visibly fighting the urge Garrick had very deliberately set the hook on.

"Fine, I’ll put five hundred on Group Three." He said betting on his own students like the others.

"Now we’re getting somewhere." Garrick leaned back, thoroughly satisfied with himself.

"I’ll add another one hundred fifty on Group Seven since it’ll even the numbers and can be divided equally among the winning group and individual." Maerwynn said.

The instructors then fed their mana crystals into a small enchanted container at the table’s center.

The pool had grown considerably larger than anyone had actually intended just a few minutes ago with with total of two thousand five hundred SSS Rank Mana crystals on the line.

For five people who could each personally afford the sum without blinking, it still somehow felt like the most serious thing that had happened all week, as it showed their confidence in each of their homeroom classes.

"Anyone else want to bet something else or predict anything?" Garrick asked surveying the table.

"One." Vespera raised a hand.

Everyone turned to her as she smiled.

"I predict that whoever loses this bet will be complaining about it for the remaining of this academy year."

"That is the most reliable prediction made today." Maerwynn said cracking a laugh as even Varkesh cracked a laugh at that.

’Maer is so pretty while laughing.’ Vespera thought internally starstruck by Maerwynn’s smile.

"How about the loser buys dinner for the rest of us, from old Chris’s place." Garrick added, as Brannoc roared his agreement loud enough to rattle the teacups a second time.

"You do know that his prices are in their own league, since he is a high ranking Mana Chef and all, he makes quite the fortune." Vespera said certain of her victory, and now even excited at the thought of trying those delicacies once again.

"Obviously, that’s why it’s a punishment for the loser." Garrick laughed.

"Just know that whoever loses will have their net worth eaten by me." Brannoc leaned back and burst out laughing as the others smiled because out of all of them he was the most likely to lose.

While the others kept arguing over odds and what they would order to hurt the losers wallet the most, Maerwynn let her attention drift back across the hovering feeds.

’Adrian’s group is steady on Floor 16 but they’re wasting too much time on that wolf.’

’Silas’s group is somehow coping with their aggressive leader on Floor Seventeen.’

’Freya’s group are quickly progressing on Floor Nineteen, they should be close to floor Twenty’s descent in a few hours.’

’Three strong leaders and three completely different groups.’

’Adrian builds coordination, Silas trusts no one while arrogant only in himself. Freya balances efficiency against caution better than either of them with Amara helping her by blasting past every obstacle in their way.’ She smiled seeing each group trying their hardest at beating the others.

Maerwynn folded her hands, composed as ever, and glanced sideways at Garrick, who was still attempting to goad Varkesh into doubling his wager a second time.

’Idiots.’

The faintest and almost involuntary warmth touched the corner of her mouth.

’At least they’re entertaining idiots.’

Back on Floor 16, Ragnar stepped back from the handshake and glanced over his shoulder at his waiting team.

"All right. We’ve rested long enough." He looked back at Adrian.

"Seems our groups are headed the same direction, so for now we’re good."

"For now," Adrian agreed.

"Try not to fall behind, Valemont."

"Try not to get lost, Fenrir." He laughed.

One more handshake, firm and brief, and Ragnar turned to lead his group toward the staircase, his team’s formation tightening as they began the descent.

Several of the other waiting groups peeled off to follow while others lingered behind to recover, as some chose to not descend as they had already passed and going further was too much for them.

"Well, that was certainly friendly." Orion said crossing his arms as he watched them go.

"Friendly doesn’t mean harmless," Nyla said.

"Exactly," Adrian said.

"We know they’re strong but doesn’t mean we rush down to keep up." He glanced toward the dark stairwell.

"Let’s make sure we’re actually ready before we go down there."

’Floor Seventeen next,’ he thought, checking his bracelet out of habit.

’Then we see how much of that third place ranking we can actually hold onto.’

’Confidence looks good on you, boy,’ Gus murmured.

’But try not to let it get you killed someday.’ He murmured.

’I am not going to let that happen, old man. Look at what it did to you.’ He said seriously

’You’re now literally a lingering unfulfilled ghost.’ He joked lightening the mood.

’I’m a spirit, boy, not some pesky little ghost!’ Gus corrected while laughing a bit.

And above them in a separate space and in a tent none of them could see, five instructors kept arguing over mana crystals while debating on what they would eat after returning as none of the students below had any idea they were already being wagered on.

Meanwhile as all of this was happening, back in the Blackthorn Estate Lucien was still sitting on the giant bed in the fortified master bedroom.

Inside, the entire room was filled to the brim with a thick and dense crimson mist made entirely out of all the blood aspected mana he was pulling out and absorbing from the Blood Mana Crystals scattered around him.

As the 12 months of cultivation progression worked, gathering more and more mana from his surroundings and also circulating, refining, purifying, and building his cultivation back up from the ground using his understanding of the Blood Sovereign Scripture.

Five hours had slowly passed with him sitting there with his eyes closed as he had split his focus three ways using his trait to observe everything going on in his body as the system worked.

’Interesting, so the cultivation progression uses the technique based on my understanding and comprehension of it.’ He thought observing a slight improvement in its circulation which he had figured out by seeing the system’s mana circulation in action.

’This system is seriously broken and the cultivation progression it gives out depends on my comprehension of the cultivation technique.’

’Which would have been a headache if not for the fact the system also gives Technique Comprehension as an investment reward to complement it." He thought smiling.

’Though it’s rarer to get the comprehension than the progression itself but I should try and gather more of both, maybe I could cultivate to ascension in one sitting.’ He joked, but decided to push for it and see if he could actually accomplish it, as the faster he grew stronger the more safer he and his wives would be.

’I’ve also got to dual cultivated with the girl’s and make sure they are always full of mana essence.’

’Since its the fastest way for them to cultivate, and since I still have the refined mana from my previous cultivation.’ He thought.

He hadn’t used the refined and concentrated mana that had leaked from his core during the severance, and that he had compressed into a separate mana sphere near his core as it had no aspect to it and was just concentrated mana.

And since he had plenty of blood aspected mana in the form of the numerous blood mana crystals Carmilla had given him, he had even more reason not to use the back up mana sphere as he could ise it to inject mana essence into the girls and help them cultivate faster.

’Since its already refined and it’s concentrated, they only have to circulate and add whatever aspect they need to it before using it to further their own cultivation.’

Time slowly passed as various thoughts regarding whatever future plans he had in store, or ways to help his wives grow all the while observing the system at work.

’The 12 months should almost be done by now.’ He thought.

’How far will I reach?’ He smirked.