NOVEL WEB Chapter 1018: The Tower
On the next day, Armin felt a lot better as he had finally obtained something really important for his plans...
He was now watching as the elderly couple, still a bit shaken but clearly relieved…
To ensure that the mission was completed, Armin actually stayed with them for the whole night, and as expected, no more issues popped up as he was already controlling the Dark Spirit, Meira…
Soon, the couple signed the completion parchment as they knew that the Spirit would no longer bother them.
"Thank you, young man…" the old man said. His voice was hoarse, but he was sincere. "We haven't had a full night's sleep in months. You have no idea what this means to us."
Armin smiled faintly and gave a short, respectful bow. "Just doing my duty. May peace return to your home."
The woman reached out, grasping his hand for a moment. Her fingers were cold and thin, but the gesture was warm. "Bless you, child."
With the formalities concluded and the signature complete, the mission was officially validated.
Armin secured the signed parchment into his scroll case and stepped outside.
Just like that, he walked to the nearest town with a railway station before going to the city where he could access an Airship that could go back to Clovis City…
***
After some time had passed, Armin was already looking at the ironwood gates of the Marshall Academy ahead.
These gates were watched over by mechanical golem sentries or Androids that wouldn't really move unless the Academy was in danger.
Of course, there were still human guards or gatekeepers around to help anyone with questions about the Academy.
The gatekeepers nodded as Armin flashed his Academy emblem.
Just like that, the gates creaked open, and he walked into the familiar cobbled path of the Academy Grounds.
Though it was already late when he arrived, the Academy was never fully asleep.
There were still many lights glimmering from dormitories and towers.
Figures in dark robes practiced spells in some corners, and sounds of sparring echoed from distant courtyards.
It was quite a normal night within the Academy.
Anyway, Armin, who had just obtained a Dark Spirit, was emitting an unusual energy fluctuation…
It garnered a few glances to confirm what was going on, but none dared to question him after realizing who he was.
He had already earned respect in this place. His identity as the Shadow Immortal's disciple had already spread.
Perhaps, if he finds any woman in the Academy whom he likes, they would willingly embrace him without a moment's thought.
Soon, Armin arrived at the Mission Hall. Although it was already late, there were still some people working at this place since the students who had accepted missions could arrive any time, like him.
At this time, the interior of the hall smelled faintly of old paper, ink, and incense, used to ward off spiritual interference from more volatile mission scrolls.
Armin approached the mission desk where a young woman in gold-rimmed glasses sat behind several documents.
"Mission code?" she asked.
"E47-B. Cleansing of an Active Poltergeist, Tier-1 Haunting…." he replied smoothly, already retrieving the signed parchment.
She reviewed the signature, examined the magical seal with a small artifact, then nodded. "Confirmed. Mission completed successfully. Your contribution points have been updated—fifty-four in total with bonus evaluation for minimal to zero property damage and efficient resolution."
Armin gave a polite nod. "I'd like to redeem the Spirit Arts manual I requested—Intermediate-Level, Category C."
The woman didn't react too much and swiftly acted.
She checked the records and confirmed the Spirit Arts Manual and stood up. "Give me a moment."
She disappeared into the back vault. When she returned, she held a dark-bound book with green-etched symbols across the cover.
It pulsed faintly with spiritual energy.
"'Warden's Grasp: Foundations of Spirit Enslavement and Contracting…'" she read aloud. "Authorized for students with three or more Tier-1 Exorcisms completed. Handle it with care—one of the copies was partially possessed last year."
"I'll be careful," Armin said, his eyes alight as he took the book with both hands, feeling very excited about this.
***
In his dorm room, Armin placed the book carefully on his desk. It rested beside several other worn tomes—titles on Dark Arts, Spirit Sensory Theory, Combat Reinforcement Circles, and a heavily annotated Martial Spell Analysis.
But the Spirit Arts manual was the first of its kind he'd ever held.
He unstrapped his coat and asked the Dark Spirit hiding in his shadows.
"Do you want to come out, Meira?" He asked.
Meira didn't reply with words, but he felt her emotion of not wanting to leave, unless he was facing danger.
"Alright… Suit yourself."
With the room sealed and secure, he sat down and began reading.
Hours quickly passed as Armin didn't feel sleepy, as he was immersed in the book he was reading.
The book outlined the rudiments of Spirit Bonding—not the brutish kind used by corrupted sorcerers, but true spiritual contracts based on compatibility, will, and resonance.
It introduced terms like spirit anchors, soul echo harmonization, and arcane resonance compatibility.
It wasn't easy—some passages were dense and required rereading—but Armin felt something ignite within him.
It was already time for lunch when Armin woke up… He had stayed up late after all.
Anyway, he still completed his morning training—two hours of martial drills, twenty minutes of spiritual focus exercises, and a session in his Spell training…
Then, after a quick breakfast in the student mess, he found himself walking not toward his regular classes, but toward the Spirit Arts Tower, one of the 16 Arcane Path Towers within the Academy…
Unfortunately, his timing seemed a bit bad today.
The tower was surrounded by some students. There seemed to be a couple of instructors teaching advanced exorcism and spiritual artistry.
They might need the Spirit Arts Tower today.
'Should I just come back later?' He mused.
However, as he thought of this, the Instructor immediately saw him and his eyes lit up.
"Perfect… We have another guide who might want to help us inside the Tower."