100\% DROP RATE : Why is My Inventory Always so Full?
Chapter 79 - More Rewards

Chapter 79: Chapter 79 - More Rewards

Lucien found himself back in the Headmaster’s office once more.

This time, he and Vivian had been invited by Ellen herself to join her for lunch.

Before heading inside, Lucien took a moment to dismiss the Silvermine Guards. He offered them his thanks and some gifts.

Ellen had promised to personally ensure his safety and even accompany him later to the Silvermine estate.

To ease any worries, she handed the guards a token that would serve as proof for Edric and Maxim.

Though reluctant, the guards eventually nodded. With Ellen being a Tier 8 mage, they knew Lucien was in far better hands than theirs.

Meanwhile, Thornel’s group had been taken to the infirmary. None of them had regained consciousness yet.

Before Vivian left for her afternoon classes, Lucien turned to her with a touch of concern in his voice.

"Sis... Are you okay? No side effects from using your skill?"

Vivian smiled gently and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Lu, I told you before that my skill consumes mana... When it run out, it can stay active for longer. That’s the only time when the side effects start to kick in. But don’t worry, it’s only been two minutes of skill usage and I still have plenty of mana left."

She paused, her smile growing playful.

"And I still have those Honeys you gave me. Even if the side effects start, I’ll recover quickly."

Lucien exhaled slowly.

He knew all too well how dangerous powerful skills could be.

The Wings of Atonement reminded him of his own Slime Beast Mode... back before the time he had no access to divine energy. If pushed too far, they could leave the user bedridden.

Just to be sure, Lucien had asked Ellen to check Vivian’s condition using her magic.

Only when Ellen confirmed there was nothing wrong did Lucien finally allow himself to relax.

Vivian pulled him in for one last hug before stepping out and heading to class.

Her soft footsteps faded down the corridor.

With Vivian gone, only Lucien and Ellen remained in the office.

They sat in comfortable silence for a while, waiting for the department heads to arrive.

Eventually, Lucien broke the silence with a curious look.

"Aunt... what exactly is your relationship with Uncle Max?"

Ellen blinked, clearly caught off guard. Then she narrowed her eyes and clicked her tongue.

"Tch. That Maxim... He didn’t even tell you?"

She crossed her arms, clearly annoyed.

"Hmph. I’ll let him say it himself."

But despite her tone, she couldn’t fully hide the complicated emotion in her voice.

With a flick of her finger, a veil of Dark Magic shimmered into place.

It isolated the room so that sound would not leak.

Her voice lowered.

"I’ll give you the short version. We had a... close relationship in the past. He saved my life... more than once. Back then, he was my hero."

She paused.

A smile tugged at her lips but it was tinged with sadness.

"But when he was cursed around twenty years ago, he started pushing people away. He never even came to see me... Not once."

She looked down for a moment.

The weight of time pressed into her voice.

"I think... he was afraid I’d pity him. That prideful man." She gave a soft sigh. "And back then, we couldn’t meet openly anyway. There were... complicated circumstances."

Her eyes lifted to meet Lucien’s.

"Since they allowed you to borrow the Silvermine seal, I’m sure you already know part of the story. The Golddust family is watching them closely... Any misstep could endanger them."

Her eyes softened and her voice dropped further.

"I haven’t seen him in five years, 123 days, five hours, thirty minutes... and twenty-four seconds. Ah—make that twenty-five... He doesn’t know that since I only peeked from afar"

Lucien’s back straightened slightly.

’Wait... Is this the true power of a Chrono Witch? She can even count time that precisely?! She even remembers the seconds?!’

Sensing his shock, Ellen gave a small cough and waved her hand.

"Ahem. I was bluffing. Probably."

Lucien could only shake his head, unsure whether to laugh or be impressed.

Lucien shook his head and gently steered the conversation elsewhere.

"Then... how did you become the Headmaster, Aunt?"

Ellen’s expression softened. A faint smile played on her lips as if she were dusting off a memory long tucked away.

"The former Headmaster was my master," she said slowly. "After my family was destroyed... Maxim saved me. But he couldn’t bring me into the Silvermine estate to avoid suspicion. So, he begged my master to take me in as his disciple."

She let out a small laugh.

"I disguised myself, dyed my hair black... I became someone else entirely. That was about thirty years ago. We were all so young back then..."

Her voice trailed off and her eyes dimmed with sadness.

She continued in a quieter tone.

"My master eventually left to travel the world. He couldn’t bear staying in this kingdom... not after it took his daughter’s life. He passed the mantle to me before he left."

Lucien listened intently, sensing the pain behind her words.

"She was the most talented girl I know," Ellen said. "I treated her like a younger sister. Her name was... Cienna."

Lucien flinched.

The name struck something deep inside him. Something unexplainable. It was like a whisper from a forgotten dream.

He tilted his head slightly.

The name was unfamiliar... yet hauntingly familiar.

Before he could ask anything more, a knock echoed from the door.

"Headmaster, it’s us."

Ellen blinked and waved her hand to dispell the dark barrier.

"You may enter," she called.

Soon, the door opened, and the department heads entered.

"Baron! You’re here!"

Orren and Belinda were the first to greet Lucien with warm enthusiasm.

The others quickly followed, offering respectful nods and greetings.

Now that they knew of Lucien’s true background, their attitudes hadn’t shifted to arrogance but rather a deeper respect.

They understood. Lucien wasn’t just talented... there were likely even greater forces behind him.

After the greetings settled, Ellen clapped her hands once, drawing everyone’s attention.

"Let’s begin."

Orren stepped forward. His tone was serious but sincere.

"Baron, we’ve realized something after reviewing the rewards we gave you earlier. They were severely lacking. What you shared with us... it’s revolutionary. It has the potential to shift entire fields of study."

He paused then continued with genuine intent.

"We’ve been discussing it ever since. Honestly, no material thing can truly match what you’ve offered. So instead of guessing... May we ask, is there something you would like?"

Lucien remained silent for a few moments.

Truthfully, he didn’t care much. Nothing excited him more than drops from monsters and the system.

But then something came to mind.

"Professor," he began, "earlier, you blacklisted the Golddust family from buying Talismans from your family business. But... they could still find a workaround... buying them through proxies or affiliated groups. Would it be possible to extend that blacklist to include anyone connected to the Golddust faction?"

The room fell quiet for a moment.

At Lucien’s words, Ellen’s eyes sparkled... but she quickly masked it behind a composed expression.

When she had heard what Lucien did in class earlier, she’d been elated.

Her authority only reached the boundaries of the academy. She couldn’t influence decisions made in the private businesses or family affairs of others.

But this?

This move by Orren which was triggered by Lucien’s influence was a direct blow to the Golddust family.

A setback they wouldn’t see coming.

And Ellen couldn’t have been happier.

"That’s not really a reward," Orren said with a chuckle. "I already planned to do that anyway. But is there anything else you’d like?"

Lucien’s eyes flickered with interest. He fell silent for a moment then spoke.

"Actually... if possible, could I have more mana cores? I’d appreciate it if they’re High-grade or even the highest quality."

A heavy silence fell over the room.

Ellen cleared her throat gently before answering.

"We must apologize, young man. Dungeons that yield High-grade or Highest-grade mana cores are tightly regulated by the royal family. Even the explorers who obtain them are required to sell them directly to the castle."

She folded her hands on the table.

"They’re used to power the kingdom’s most critical formations... like the capital’s barrier and other national artifacts. Still... with my authority, I might be able to hunt a few monsters and acquire some for you. It’ll just take time."

Lucien nodded, unbothered.

He hadn’t really expected much in the first place. After all, those cores only dropped from monsters between Level 60 and 100.

But then Orren offered a compromise.

"If that’s the case... how about we provide you with Mid-grade mana cores instead?"

At those words, Lucien’s eyes brightened.

That was more than enough.

The airship blueprint alone required 100 Mid-grade cores. With this, he could finally afford it.

Then Orren spoke again.

"Also, if you have other rune designs... aside from the Light and Dark ones you already shared... my family would be very interested in purchasing them."

Belinda, standing just behind him, quickly chimed in.

"Same here."

Their interest sparked a ripple effect. One by one, the other department heads leaned in with intrigued expressions.

Orren and Belinda had already shared what happened in the classroom earlier. And it was no surprise.

Runes weren’t just used for talismans. They served as the foundation for entirely new spells. In fact, many established magic spells today had been born from ancient rune studies.

That was one of the runes’ greatest values. They weren’t just tools.

They were the roots of magical evolution.

No wonder scholars continued researching them even after centuries of little progress.

Lucien stared at them, momentarily speechless.

He did have a few rune notes. He’d shared them with the Crafting Division already. It wasn’t a big deal to him.

And if he could gain something in return... that was even better.

But first...

He activated his DIVINE SENSE, subtly examining each of the department heads.

If he detected even a trace of greed or ulterior motives, he would back out immediately.

But to his surprise, what he sensed was completely different.

Their colors were warm. Genuine. Their interest wasn’t driven by ambition or profit but by pure passion.

They truly loved magic.

What Lucien didn’t know was that these individuals had all been handpicked by Ellen herself when she took the position of Headmaster. Each one had been chosen not for influence or connections but for their devotion to their field.

They were researchers and specialists who cared more about magic than politics or power games.

Seeing that, Lucien smiled softly and gave a nod.

Since they were requesting something personal, the rewards would come from their own pockets as well... not from the academy’s official resources.

The rewards were as follows...

History Department Head, Olga Langrave, gave Lucien a land deed in the noble district of the capital.

His family held a long-standing lineage in the kingdom and they owned a few unused properties. Olga is someone who was driven by a deep thirst for knowledge... especially anything as ancient and mysterious as runes.

Enchantment Department Head, Virelle Moonchant, promised to enchant any item Lucien wished. Naturally, her offer extended to Vivian as well.

She had taken a particular liking to the Chalk, Sun and Night Thread that Lucien had shared. It was a valuable addition to her craft.

Monster-Taming Department Head, Drake Wyrmhold, promised Lucien the newborn of his family’s best tamed monster.

He had been impressed by the special monster feed Lucien provided which had visibly boosted the mood and vitality of even his most aggressive monsters. His family was known throughout the capital for producing the finest tamed monster.

Martial Arts Department Head, Ryu Ashborn, handed Lucien a complete set of martial arts techniques.

It wasn’t limited to just unarmed combat. It included weapon mastery techniques as well. These were carefully selected from his family’s secret archives.

Alchemy Department Head, Elira Flaskveil, gave Lucien a collection of her family’s rare alchemical recipes.

She was especially intrigued by the variation of Slime Gel he had given. They were something she had never encountered before. New formulas were already forming in her mind.

...

And so it continued...

Each department head offered a reward that suited their craft.

There’s even a talk for future exchanges... but they decided to leave it in the future.

But...

The reward that shocked everyone the most came from Elira.

Not the alchemy recipes... but the declaration she made.

The moment the words left her mouth, both Ellen and Lucien’s eyes lit up in excitement.

Elira declared that from now on, her family would no longer sell potions or elixirs to the Golddust family or their associates.

It was a bold move.

Her family, like Runeforge, belonged to a lineage of craftsmen... the same kind that Thornel Golddust had dared to mock.

This declaration was not only a business blow but a direct slap back at the Golddusts.

To Lucien’s glee, he handed Elira several unique potion recipes he had acquired from the system. They were unheard of in this world but the effects were remarkable.

One could heal old scars.

Another made the skin smooth and flawless.

One prevented aging over time.

Another could even regrow hair.

And many more...

Elira’s eyes sparkled as she received the pages. Her instincts told her she made the right choice... and Lucien’s gifts only proved it.

Seeing Elira’s decisive stance and the benefits she reaped, the other department heads followed suit, promising to blacklist the Golddust faction in their respective trades.

The Golddusts wouldn’t even imagine... that their fate was quietly being sealed in this very room.

Ellen no longer held back her laughter. She was genuinely overjoyed. This was the happiest she’d been in years.

As for Lucien... he wasn’t stingy.

He handed out extra gifts to the heads. The drops from the system that made their jaws drop every time.

But the MVP drop?

Coffee.

These people were magic scholars and research addicts. If they could avoid sleeping, they would.

And now, Lucien had given them a reason not to.

Then... Lucien received the mana cores.

Another 10,000 Lowest-Grade mana cores and 5,000 Low-Grade mana cores and... 2,000 Mid-Grade mana cores.

He took a thousand Mid-Grade mana cores and with a small smile, he told them...

"Give the rest to my sister, Vivian."

The room went silent for a moment, before erupting into quiet admiration.

Lucien was truly... generous.

And Vivian?

She was the luckiest girl in the world.

Just then, a knock came at the door.

A guard’s voice followed...

"Headmaster. Edric and Maxim Silvermine are here."

At the sound of Maxim’s name, Ellen jolted.