Black Clover: Nah I'd Lose (UPDATED)

(Guys, here is the bonus chapter for an additional 70 Powerstones. This week's goal is 250 Powerstones. Whether this fic will continue or not will depend on the support I am getting which is decided by the number of Powerstones this fic receives or the number of Patreon members

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Akeru could be seen deep within a dense forest, surrounded by towering trees and the faint sounds of wildlife.

He wasn't particularly worried about being hunted down by the Magic Knights. After all, Yami should have cleared things up with the authorities. At least, he hoped so.

Then again, Yami wasn't exactly someone with a "reliable" reputation.

Akeru's clothes were tattered and streaked with blue—evidence of the intense training he had undergone under Yami, who had been trying to teach him how to properly sense Ki.

'I need to evolve my Mana Skin,' Akeru thought, dissipating the protective layer of magic that surrounded his body, leaving only his right palm covered. 'It's barely offering me any defense as it is. I can't rely on dodging forever.'

He stared intently at his hand, focusing all his energy on creating a stronger, denser barrier. Minutes turned into hours as he stood still, unyielding in his resolve. Slowly, a faint, translucent layer of mana began to form over his palm.

Unlike the Mana Skin he had used before, this barrier was far more intricate, the mana concentrated and structured to provide superior defense.

'This isn't combat-ready yet, but I'll focus on quality first. Speed will come with practice. Once it's up to my standards, I'll work on casting it faster,' Akeru decided, bracing himself for the next step: testing its limits.

Akeru intended to attack his palm.

This might sound silly, but he wasn't attack it, but having an intention. 

Blue lines could be seen on the barrier.

Each line was a flaw, a weakness in the structure that needed to be addressed. But instead of feeling discouraged, Akeru was resolute. He meticulously adjusted the barrier's composition, focusing on removing one blue line at a time.

Hours turned to days, and weeks stretched into months. The process was grueling and anything but linear. Sometimes, removing a single blue line would cause several new ones to appear. Other times, his progress unraveled entirely, erasing weeks of effort in an instant.

But Akeru pressed on, analyzing every failure, adapting, and improving.

Things became even more challenging when he added Oscillatory Dysfunction to his attacking intention—a technique that destabilized mana barriers—but it only fueled his determination to master the skill.

Time flew by, and before Akeru realized it, six months had passed.

"FINALLY! HAHAHAHA!" Akeru's laughter echoed through the forest as he stood, his body now encased in a shimmering barrier of intricate geometric patterns.

He had been on the verge of losing his sanity.

During this time, his life had been a monotonous yet grueling cycle: refining the barrier, fending off wild animals, eating them, and resting only when his mana reserves were completely depleted.

Unintentionally, his casting speed had improved as well. What once took hours to create now required only five minutes.

To test his new creation, Akeru infused mana into his shoes and launched himself into the air. As he reached the peak of his jump, he let himself fall.

BOOM!

The impact shook the ground, leaving a massive crater in its wake. Yet Akeru emerged unscathed, a satisfied grin on his face.

'I should've dropped from an even higher altitude,' he thought, brushing off the dust. 'Anyway, the next step is making this casting process instant.'

Over the following days, Akeru succeeded in achieving instant casting. It wasn't easy, but it was necessary to prepare for his next goal.

'Time to make Moonwalk silent,' he decided.

The technique's excessive noise was impractical for someone like him, who preferred to operate in the shadows.

Another month passed before Akeru perfected Moonwalk, not only silencing the technique but also honing his movements to be nearly undetectable. Stealth had already become second nature to him by this point.

One day, Akeru extended his hand, firing a series of fast-moving mana projectiles at a nearby tree.

'These are faster than water projectiles, but they lack density. The impact is weak,' he noted, setting a new goal: enhancing his Water Ball spell.

This task took another month.

"I'm ready," he declared, pulling a small emblem from his bag.

'Time to go to Vermillion House. My seclusion in the wild is complete,' Akeru thought, heading toward the royal capital.

It took him a few days to reach his destination.

He was unmasked, ensuring that his identity wouldn't be tied to his current endeavors.

'There's a royal… I forgot his name, but he's ruthless and acts like a judge. Better to stay away from him. I'm betting Julius or Yami didn't reveal my identity as the pickpocketer. Even if they did, I'm just a kid; they'd likely let me off. Still, caution is better,' Akeru mused as he joined the line at the gate.

Harsh gazes were directed at him. Unlike the lenient entry into the noble realm, this was the royal capital, where nobles and even royals were involved.

Akeru ignored the stares and instead observed a few Magic Knights entering without needing to queue.

'Makes sense,' he thought as his turn finally arrived.

"What business do you have, young man?" Despite Akeru's haggard, hobo-like appearance, the guard remained professional, addressing him like everyone else.

'How elegant,' Akeru joked internally as he retrieved the emblem he had received years ago.

The guard's eyes widened. He carefully inspected the emblem, checking for authenticity. After nearly a minute, he nodded and, without making a fuss, allowed Akeru entry.

Without wasting any time, Akeru headed straight for Clover Castle, walking briskly.

The gazes and murmurs around him grew increasingly annoying.

'I don't want any face-slapping incident here of all places,' he thought, making a mental note to stay composed, ignoring taunts from a group of noble teenagers.

'Do these people have nothing better to do than stroke their egos?' he wondered, maintaining his poker face as he approached the castle.

The castle guards also remained neutral in their demeanor while addressing him.

'These guys are Magic Knights. What a boring post they got stuck with,' Akeru thought, handing over his emblem and simultaneously extending his sensory field to gauge their mana reserves.

The knight inspecting the emblem frowned.

He didn't mind the sensory field probing him, but the way the boy's gaze seemed to pierce through his entire being made him uneasy.

Coupled with the fact that he couldn't sense any mana from Akeru—despite clearly feeling a sensory field originating from him—it was unnerving.

"Kid, don't do that. You're creeping me out. Go left from here—that's the Vermillion Estate—and head straight to the central mansion," the knight instructed, handing the emblem back.

"Also, don't engage with anyone along the way. Ignore them," he added as an afterthought.

Akeru nodded, thanked him for the directions, and proceeded as instructed.

"Do you think he's the new talent the lady recruited?" one guard asked after Akeru was out of sight.

"Yeah. Did you check his mana reserves?" the other replied.

"Yeah… I couldn't sense any. Yet he had a sensory field. That's a freakish level of control, and the kid looks like he's only 12 or 13."

"Plus, the way he sized me up… definitely not an amateur," the first guard said.

Meanwhile, Akeru arrived at the central mansion.

'Damn, those guys were strong. I only saw three blue lines,' he noted, handing over the emblem.

"You must be Akeru, right?" an old man in a black uniform approached.

"Oh? You know me?"

"Lady Mereoleona informed us of your arrival nearly four years ago. Didn't expect you'd actually make it out of the Grand Magic Zone," the man said, sizing Akeru up.

"Haha, I'm surprised myself," Akeru replied, while internally noting, 'I don't see any blue lines on this guy.'

"Anyway, you look like you're in dire need of a bath. Sir Fuegoleon will meet you shortly," the man offered.

"Yeah, it's been ages since I had a proper bath in civilization," Akeru said, accepting the offer.

***

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