Chapter 195: One of the Very Few

[Moon Nail: Reflection]—the name was perfectly straightforward. The moonlight reflected from the tip of the needle back onto the caster.

Richard was eager to test it. He took out his silver needle box, a bottle of alcohol, and a small roll of sterile gauze.

He planned to test the reversed Moon Nail on his own flesh first, measuring the ether's diffusion direction and range.

The test subject was the pad of his left index finger—making a mistake there wouldn't be fatal.

Richard pushed his Spirit Vision to its maximum setting and took a brand-new silver needle from the long box.

He wiped it down with an alcohol pad, then did the same for the pad of his left index finger.

During the exhalation phase of the third cycle of Fourfold Breathing, ether pushed from the Seat of the Sun to his fingertip.

He gripped the needle carefully with three fingers, allowing him to adjust the pressure at any moment.

The piercing step was slower than any of his previous attempts.

Richard executed every movement with extreme steadiness.

The Moon Nail took form. The cluster of condensed ether was brighter than usual, a pale blue mixed into the white.

He aimed the tip at the pad of his left index finger.

Taking a deep breath, he plunged the silver needle in.

"Sss!"

The fingers were notoriously sensitive, after all. It genuinely stung.

The tip only pierced about five millimeters into the skin. On a physical level, the injury was lighter than pricking his finger on a sewing needle.

But upon entry, the cluster of Moon Nail condensed at the tip burst.

The entire mass of condensed ether expanded outward the moment it pierced the skin, flooding the capillary-level Micro-circulation inside his index finger.

Richard's entire index finger was scoured from the inside out.

Normally, using [Healing] to refresh his capillaries required several complete breathing method cycles.

[Moon Nail: Reflection] took less than half a second.

And unlike gentle mending, the Moon Nail performed a targeted activation.

Richard could feel a warm current radiating outward from inside his left index finger.

For a short time, the sensitivity of the entire finger was elevated to a terrifying degree.

He gently pressed his index finger against the desk.

The wood grain, the uneven lacquer, the temperature gradients—every piece of information felt magnified twofold.

Richard was very satisfied.

[Perception] Lv.2 combined with [Moon Nail: Reflection] turned his left index finger into a veritable "sensory probe."

The price was pain, along with a microscopic burn mark left at the puncture site.

And this was only its simplest application.

If he were truly fighting for his life, he could absolutely stick needles into several main circuits to drive a full-body enhancement.

He pulled the silver needle out.

Richard pressed the gauze against the puncture wound.

Three to five seconds later, he removed the gauze. The pinhole had already closed.

This was a byproduct of activating [Moon Nail: Reflection]: the wound healing rate was much faster than usual.

He sat in his chair and slowly calmed down.

[Moon Nail: Reflection]. He felt this reversed Spell Formula was even more useful than [Shadow Armor].

While [Shadow Armor] had been highly effective when he derived it, it came with two hard restrictions: a shadow had to exist, and the light source had to be sufficient.

[Moon Nail: Reflection] had no environmental limits. It could be used anytime, anywhere, and the enhancement took effect instantly.

Now there was just one question: could [Moon Nail: Reflection] enhance someone at a higher Rank than himself?

He leaned toward the idea that the enhancement effect would decay proportionally.

Otherwise, a Newcomer like him could provide an equal-ratio enhancement to a Major Adept or a Virtuoso, which would be entirely too absurd.

On the other hand, he thought of his mother.

Ether massage was a gentle, palliative method.

His mother's circuits were damaged due to a failed Rank breakthrough; completely curing them would require Major Adept-level means.

It was highly unlikely that [Moon Nail: Reflection] could repair the section of his mother's circuits that was already ruined.

Richard knitted his brows.

But his mother still had a large number of "residual circuits."

Those residual circuits weren't completely ruined; they were simply idling.

If he used [Moon Nail: Reflection] on the "active ends" of those residual circuits, could it force them back into a normal state?

In theory, he could try.

In reality... he didn't dare test it.

His mother's constitution was already frail. The circuit damage left from a failed Rank breakthrough over a decade ago was an extremely sensitive issue.

If [Moon Nail: Reflection] triggered any uncontrollable reaction in her body, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Richard suppressed that line of thought.

He thought of Coleman.

Coleman was physically robust and still practiced the Path of Blood Ignition every day.

Though his circuit was congenitally severed, the segments outside the break were intact.

Through massive daily training, the activity level of that intact segment was constantly maintained.

If he stuck a needle into Coleman... could it mend that break?

[Moon Nail: Reflection] could currently only "refresh" existing Micro-circulation; it couldn't necessarily repair already damaged sections.

But since it could enhance undamaged parts, and circuits were a holistic system, if the segment outside the break was enhanced to its absolute limit, would it drive a passive repair of the break itself?

Richard's finger came to a halt on the edge of the desk.

The theoretical basis for this line of thought was insufficient.

None of the literature on circuit damage he could recall through [Erudition] ever mentioned a mechanism for "indirect repair."

But all that literature came from research institutions under the Temple of the Medical God System.

The Temple of the Medical God System represented the orthodox lineage of the Golden Path; their views on circuits were extremely conservative.

He still remembered Prometheus's words.

"Condensate is a life-saver in combat, a catalyst for Spell Formulas—analogous to adrenaline."

Based on his physical sensations using it just now, [Moon Nail: Reflection] was essentially a cost-free, low-grade ether Condensate, with correspondingly smaller side effects.

Such radical enhancement might not directly repair damage.

But it could forcefully elevate the body's "self-healing mechanism."

He picked up the used silver needle from the desk, washed it clean, and placed it back into the long box.

Richard sat at his desk and closed his eyes.

Inside his chest, the leaves of the tree of light spread throughout his body under the effect of [Breathing: Healing].

The pinhole left by [Moon Nail: Reflection] rapidly healed itself, and that minor spot of ether burn was slowly covered by [Healing].

He needed to find a test subject, and Coleman was the most suitable candidate.

The problem was: how could he convince him?

...

On Sunday afternoon, he went to the third floor of the Branch Office as usual.

Mrs. MacNeil sat behind the desk, organizing her stack of Tarot Cards.

When she saw Richard walk in, her gaze lingered for a moment on his chest, right where the Silver Ring hung.

"The teacher visited?"

"Yes, ma'am," Richard nodded.

"How does it feel?"

"After I put on the ring, the lighthouse went dark."

"Mm." The medium finished shuffling the Tarot Cards and placed them in the center of the desk.

"Today's lesson begins with the reversed interpretation of a single Major Arcana card."

"Remember, the teacher choosing a good seedling is never a one-way street."

"She chose you, but you are also choosing her."

Mrs. MacNeil turned over the first card.

"She has lived to an age where she 'no longer needs to be too cautious.'"

"Now, every bet she places is simply something she finds enjoyable."

Richard gave a cooperative response.

"I'll remember that, ma'am."

"Mm." The medium turned over the second card.

Monday morning, Mr. Hutton's history class covered the late Roman Republic.

Richard behaved normally during class and answered questions without any missteps.

When class ended, Mr. Hutton walked down from the podium.

"Stay after school."

"Alright."

After school, Richard walked into the office. Mr. Hutton was drinking tea behind his desk.

Teacup in hand, his eyes lingered on Richard's chest for a moment.

"You have something extra on you."

Richard reached up and touched his chest. "Yes, a gift from a senior."

"Madam Marie?"

"That's right."

The old gentleman set his teacup down.

"Her assessment of you was quite accurate. A high-tier gaze shield—that is exactly what a Newcomer needs most."

"I haven't seen her in many years, but her style hasn't changed."

Richard stood motionless before the desk. "Will an intervention like this affect my progression within the academy system?"

"This doesn't count as her intervening with you, nor will it affect your normal progression within the academy system."

Mr. Hutton waved a hand. "She has always played by the rules."

The old gentleman thought for a moment.

"Furthermore, you will have to repay this investment of hers sooner or later."

"What if she asks me to do something that violates my values?"

Mr. Hutton glanced at him.

"She won't make you do anything you're unwilling to do. That's just how she operates."

Richard nodded.

"Did she mention the 'very few' to you?"

"She did."

Mr. Hutton took a sip of tea. "I've heard a bit of news about one of them."

The old gentleman put down his teacup.

"That individual was a very famous young Hunter in the Imperial Capital back in the day. I had the privilege of going on a field mission with him.

"He went to the New Continent after becoming a Minor Adept. He boarded a ship from the Imperial Capital's Harbor over twenty years ago, and after disembarking, he never sent any messages back."

"Every Christmas since then, Madam Marie receives a postcard."

"On the postcard is a leaf from a certain plant found in the central part of the New Continent."

"According to academic records, that specific plant only grows west of the central mountains in the New Continent."

Richard digested this information.

"What does it mean, him sending a leaf back?"

"It proves he's still alive, but he can no longer use words to contact this place, because he no longer belongs here."

The leaves of the tree of light inside Richard's chest trembled slightly.

Mr. Hutton glanced at him.

"Don't overthink it. You're still very far from that step."

The old gentleman set down his teacup.

"Today's tutoring session continues."

"Alright."