[Using 900 Taming points → Paralyze: (10.00%) (0/1,000)]
[Congratulations host, you have tamed your first skill → Paralyze: (Tamed) (0/1,000)]
[Reward: Paralyze | Mana cost: None]
"Huh. A skill that costs nothing to use," he murmured. "Finally, something in this world that respects my budget."
[Reward: Mana Indicator]
[After taming and breaking down the skill, the System has fully analyzed the skill's features. It can now assist the Host by displaying a clear mana indicator of the total and remaining mana → Mana: 700/700]
"What the—?" Rex's eyes widened at the new reward. "It can now show the total and remaining mana I currently have? That's… pretty useful in its own ways." he paused then added "Well, great. Now I can watch myself run out of mana in real time."
"Status," he muttered again.
[Rex Tameroth]
[Rank: Ascender – 3 Stars]
[Taming Points: 1,345]
[Mana: 700/700]
"Damn, the system keeps on giving me surprises," he mused in an excited tone.
"At least this will help me understand how much mana I have left" A soft, light smile played on his lips, delighted by the skill [Paralyze] being tamed and becoming a mana-free skill.
Then, he furrowed his brows. "Mana-free skill… hmmm," he hummed as a fantastic thought appeared in his mind.
"This way, more mana crystals would be saved as it won't be used in refilling the used-up mana, and those saved-up mana crystals can be absorbed by me and my companions. That will help us become stronger much faster," Rex concluded with a bright smile.
But soon, that bright smile dimmed as he sighed. "Hah, but I'll need taming points for that. And even after so much taming and killing, I could barely accumulate over 2,000 taming points. Well… at least I'm starting somewhere."
As he was weighing his options and talking to himself, the system immediately chimed in with another message.
[Host, although this is not certain yet, after analyzing the skill [Paralyze] carefully.
with enough number and variety of such tamed skills—the system can break down the process of taming a skill without using any Taming Points.
Making a skill, truly costless. Be it in terms of Taming Points or Mana.
So please start taming as many skills as possible for the system to analyze and break down the skills.]
"What the—?" he gasped, blinking rapidly in astonishment as he read the system's message.
"So once you achieve this… all the skills I'll have will become mana-free to use?" he questioned again, as the possibility seemed just too absurd.
Using skills without mana?
Mind you, each and every skill—from the moment of its creation or utilization—was powered by mana. Ranked ones used mana as fuel. Everyone made sure they had enough mana before picking a fight.
Otherwise, if an Overlord came… without mana, even a Grandmaster with mana could technically overpower him easily.
Mana was essentially the source of all skills.
And his system had just announced that it could very well turn those mana-hungry skills into mana-free skills.
That, in itself, could very well be a cheat in this world!
"Haah," Rex exhaled slowly. "This is definitely a good thing, but let's calm down and think about what's next, about tomorrow's meeting."
Despite being happy and excited with the new reward—Mana Indicator, which would help him track his mana—and the system's message about infinite mana, the weight of Asselin mentioning the meeting with the King flared up in his mind.
"Now, about the king…" he contemplated on how to proceed further and behave in the presence of the King.
After some deep thought, minutes passed and tiredness took over his body as he entered dreamland in the comfortable bed.
***
Knock! knock!
"Master Rex, please wake up."
A familiar voice stirred him from sleep, and Rex woke easily at the third knock.
"Uhm, who is there?" he asked sleepily, as bright sunlight poured into the room, giving it a different vibe.
"It's me, Scias, Master Rex," replied the butler who had threatened to kill him just yesterday—though he now spoke in a respectful tone.
Rex narrowed his eyes. Realizing who it was, he responded, "Come in, Sir Butler."
The butler pushed open the door and entered. "Master Rex, please get ready. After breakfast, we'll be leaving for Luminaris City to meet the King," Scias said awkwardly.
Although the Walterius family was treating Rex like a member of the family and creating a cozy environment around him so that he could reciprocate.
However, Rex still saw them as strangers. He refused to match their pretentious affection, and firmly maintained his boundaries.
He looked at the butler and replied politely, "Thank you, Sir Butler. I'll be there soon."
The butler tried to correct him. "You don't have to call me 'sir,' Master Rex," yet Rex shook his head. "Alright. I'll be there soon… Sir Butler." And didn't give in.
The butler frowned slightly narrowing his gaze but left without uttering anything.
After getting ready and eating breakfast along with Arcane and Darius, they boarded the stromgrace beast that had helped them travel here.
"Ready to meet the King, my son?" the Duke asked, looking straight at Rex as he stood atop the beast's head confidently.
"Yes, Lord Duke," Rex replied.
"Again with 'Lord Duke'... how many times—sigh. Whatever, Let's just leave, or we might be late," the Duke ordered, and the beast took off as they began gliding through the skies once again.
There were only five people traveling this time: Duke Asselin with Butler Scias, and Rex with his two companions.
After an hour of flying in silence, the Duke finally broke the silence. "Look at that—that's the Lumora Palace, where His Majesty resides," he said, pointing at a perched palace high above the capital like a crown of light that gleamed softly in the sun.
It looked more like a castle, with four platforms at each corner, just like the single platform on the Duke's mansion.
As the beast was about to skillfully descend toward one of the platforms, they were stopped for inspection mid-air.
A guard flew up toward them. However, after noticing Duke Asselin in the front, the guard politely bowed and quickly retreated, giving them a way to land without any problems.