Trials of the Multiverse

[A Legendary achievement!]

[You have created an artifact infused with the Essence of Magic without the aid of the System]

[An impossible achievement!]

[You have plundered the [True Magic Codex: No Name(Incomplete)]]

[This action will have irreversible consequences]

[The Meaning of Magic is now clearer to you]

[As your [Existence Level] is too low, your level will be forcibly raised]

[You have leveled up]

[You have leveled up]

[You have leveled up]

[You have leveled up]

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[You have reached the maximum level allowed for the 4th Trial]

[The Authority of Limits has comprehended a wisp of [???]]

[The Authority of Limits' influence has risen]

[The Authority of Adaptability's influence has risen]

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[The chains binding you from #!?^?_ will loosen slightly]

[The Authority of Sword glances at its own [Awakening Rate] in contempt]

[Awakening Rate: 20.2% ➔ 20.5%]

[Awakening Rate: 20.5% ➔ 21%]

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[Awakening Rate: 24% ➔ 25%]

[[—] ss—#!?!__?! at 1!°!!_!_??__ Awakening Ra t e ??...]

[...]

[Result: The Awakening Rate cannot progress further until the proper conditions are met. Compensation will be issued]

[99 Transcendent Chains will descend to strengthen the seal. It is advised to not attempt further elevation]

[The Authority of the Sword does not care]

[The Passive Skill [Debt Collector] has been created]

[Since it is a conditional skill, the Passive Skill [Debt Collector] has been assigned level MAX]

[For each [Transcendent Chain] added, the Passive Skill [Debt Collector] will in turn pay the corresponding debt to its Host]

[When all [Transcendent Chains] are broken, the Passive Skill [Debt Collector] will be removed from the [Status]]

[The Authority of the Sword adds that it's not enough]

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[You have been granted the Growth Skill [Defense]]

[The Growth Skill [Defense] is looking at you]

[[Defense] sighs as your soul does not have any defense mechanism]

[[Defense] snorts as your mind is too easily influenced]

[[Defense] also adds that your physical body is quite mid]

[The Growth Skill [Strength] angrily retorts that the best defense is offence]

[[Defense] does not reply to [Strength]]

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[Because of the Codex's low rank, it is impossible to attempt further ???#!__!!?]

[Current Codex Rank: Unranked]

[Hint: Future Ascension through Mana will be possible if the Codex reaches a high enough rank]

[[No Name] is looking at your Skills, Arts, and Authorities]

[The Passive Skill [Mana Control] has been consumed]

[The Active Skill [Mana Explosion] has been consumed]

[The Growth Skill [Weakest Mana Generation] has been massively enhanced]

[The Growth Skill [Weakest Mana Generation] will now evolve into [Weak Mana Generation]]

[Your position as a Mana Noble has been solidified after a feat worthy of it has been achieved]

[The Talent [Mana Noble] is being saturated]

[The Authority of Mana and a mysterious force are interacting]

[[No Name] has shared some insights with the Passive Skill [Saint Body]]

[The Passive Skill [Saint Body] is merging with a mysterious force]

[The Talent [Body] is merging with a mysterious force]

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[[No Name] has completed all the possible adjustments with its current power]

[All Magic Spells will be removed from your [Status]]

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It's a tangled mess to read, but the meaning is clear enough.

First, about my Sword Awakening—the Authority of the Sword seems to have ripped off the System for good.

Recognizing the Awakening Rate as a threat, the latter has gone to great lengths to seal it off completely, using whatever underhanded methods it could muster.

But in doing so, the System probably got forced to agree to a few 'concessions'.

If the Authority of the Sword allowed those countermeasures to happen, then I'm confident there's a reason. In the end, I trust it enough to believe it will work out in my favor.

Second, by creating and plundering the Codex, I had willingly sacrificed all the progress I had made of Magic, sacrificing it in pursuit of something higher. And it worked.

If before, I was little more than a barking puppet, now, at last, I stood on my own two feet.

The strings were still there, of course.

It's not like I could sever the System's grip on me just because I had grown a bit stronger.

But at least, one of its future methods to bind me had been erased.

As great as that sounded, it wasn't without a price.

The Magic Spells I could once wield with a thought—the spells I'd painstakingly perfected—were now impossible for me to use.

They were even removed from my Status.

By extracting all the 'tainted' knowledge from myself, I'd cut off my connection to the systems that defined it. If I were to use those spells again, it would risk corrupting me all over.

To replicate them would require effort—perhaps relearning everything from the ground up.

And yet, none of that mattered.

What I'd gained far outweighed what I'd lost.

The quality of Magic I could wield now was incomparable to anything I had known before.

In general, I no longer needed precise formulas or rigid structures.

Magic bent to my will as if it were a natural extension of my thoughts.

Even without fully understanding the nuances of concepts, I could still produce something that mimicked it.

Imperfect, yes, but as long as it gets the job done, I have no complaints.

Yet, I wasn't blind to limitations.

Without deep understanding, I couldn't transcend imitation.

Ironic, isn't it?

Faking Magic resembling the real thing might suffice for now, but it wasn't a solution—it was a stepping stone.

In the past, I would've simply sought out more Magic Spells, strengthening my Magic System by cherry-picking the best elements from every system I encountered. But now, that path was meaningless to me.

That's the key.

It wasn't about amassing more spells or tricks anymore.

As I stood there, I dissected these truths with as much objectivity as I could muster.

This wasn't the time for arrogance or blind confidence.

The step forward I had taken was significant, but I knew it wasn't enough. Not against the caliber of the enemy I faced.

Not even close.

After all, the prompts were loud and clear.

Even after I worked my ass off to pull this off, almost killing myself in the process, the Codex I ended up creating was still labelled not only Incomplete, but also Unranked.

As for how to complete it or raise its Rank, I have a few theories, but the answer remains the same.

I need to plunder more knowledge.

Coincidentally, there's quite the feast laid out before me.

A smirk tugged at my lips.

'I hope this World's knowledge doesn't disappoint me'

That's all I could think about as I willed my Authorities to let go of the flow of time.

After all, even if I kept squeezing something out of Enlightenment, there was nothing more that I could gain.

Just as the World was about to resume its due course, I remembered.

Right.

I still need to deal with this punk...

What a pain in the ass.

---

Author's Note:

Since some readers told me the Status was growing too big and it was a bit excessive to show it in full during the chapter, I pondered over what to do.

I decided to put the Status in the Author's Note, as it isn't truly necessary to view it mid-chap

Please note that I will show you a 'summary' of the Status, and that Akira does not exactly see it like this.

Either way, here we go:

[

Status: Healthy+

Level: 305 ➔ 370 ➔ 450 ➔ 465 ➔ 500 ➔ 600

Mana Pathways: Perfect ➔ Perfect+ ➔ Noble

Combat Prowess: High ➔ ???(After Codex)

Martial Arts: Karate(Lv. 8 ➔ 25), Judo(Lv.1 ➔ 20)(NEW!), Taekwondo(Lv.1 ➔ 20)(NEW!), Sumo(Lv. 1 ➔ 20)(NEW!), Aikido(Lv.1 ➔ 20)(NEW!) ...

Sword Arts: Sky Art(Sky Footwork(Lv. 60 ➔ 110), Sky Sword Technique(Lv. 60 ➔ 110), Sky Slash(Lv.50 ➔ 100), Hand-To-Hand Sky Technique(Lv.40 ➔ 90))

Active Skills: Cooking Master(Lv.19), Turtle Shell(Lv. 75 ➔ 125), Mirage Veil(Lv.40 ➔ 76), Shadow Step(Lv.48 ➔ 62), Mana Explosion(Lv.115 ➔ 143 ➔ ???)(CONSUMED), Overload(Lv.MAX)

Passive Skills: Body Zen(Lv.60 ➔ 80), Mind's Dominion(Lv.60 ➔ 80), Saint Body(Lv.1), Mana Control(Lv.83 ➔ 163 ➔ ???)(CONSUMED), Regeneration+(Lv.90 ➔ 154), Limit Breaker(Lv. MAX), Killing Intent(Lv.33 ➔ 70), Elemental Resonance(Lv. 1 ➔ 5)(NEW!), Psion Understanding(Lv.1)(NEW!), Debt Collector(Lv. MAX)

Growth Skills: Strength, Weakest ➔ Weak Mana Generation, Defense(NEW!)

Absolute Skills: Ice, Fire, Wind

Magic(Now): No Name(Incomplete)

Magic(Before): Body Strengthening(Lv.80), Sword Infusion(Lv.75), Equipment Enhancement(Lv.45), Slime Manipulation(Lv.99), Restricting Magic(Lv.32), Healing Magic(Lv.78), Weight Adjustment(Lv.25), Fly(Lv.35), Mind Manipulation(Lv.70), Thread Manipulation(Lv.70), Purification(Lv.8)...

Talent: Sword(Lv. 60 ➔ 80 ➔ 100), Movement(Lv.60 ➔ 80), Wisdom(Lv.60 ➔ 80 ➔ 100), Intuition(Lv.60 ➔ 80 ➔ 100), Body(Lv.60 ➔ 80 ➔ 100), Determination(Lv.60 ➔ 80), Mana(Lv.90 ➔ 100)(CONSUMED), Elemental Manipulation(Lv.110 ➔ 130), Resilience(Lv. 1 ➔ 10 ➔ 50)(NEW!), Mana Noble(Lv. 1 ➔ 13 ➔ 18)(NEW!)

Awakening: Sword(20% ➔ 25%)

You have 405 unused Skill Points

]