Magus Supremacy

The next day came, and Grey was up, ready to work full time on Dame's pills. Before the sun could even filter in through the window, he was already awake, and he felt far better than the day before.

His injuries had surprisingly healed up nicely. It turned out that when not in use, a warrior's body naturally repaired minor injuries, cuts, and scratches with the circulation of Ki. This discovery left Grey relieved, for it meant his body would always mend itself if given time.

Hence, he was as good as new, and he didn't waste a moment before slipping into meditation.

His every morning routine involved sitting still, eyes closed, focusing on replenishing his Ki and mana simultaneously. It was a habit he had nurtured ever since he started balancing both forces, and it had become something akin to breathing for him.

Within a few minutes, Grey's entire body was brimming with vitality. His mind felt sharper, his muscles looser, and his energy core pulsated with strength.

Without hesitation, he began working on the different magic circles that would be used to craft the pills.

"I really need to learn how to craft weapons soon. It might come in handy someday. But for now, I'll just focus on crafting pills," Grey muttered under his breath as he arranged the beast cores he had prepared. These were for the purple pills, and he placed each core carefully within the glowing lines of the circle.

He altered a few of the symbols, modifying the circle so that it would mass produce the pills instead of creating just one at a time.

"Sheesh… doing this will definitely drain me of mana. But I feel like it's worth a try," Grey mumbled, rubbing his chin before another idea suddenly popped into his mind.

'Alright! I seriously need to stop coming up with reckless ideas. What the hell even crossed my head right now?!' he yelled inwardly, scanning the room with a frown. His gaze landed on Thalos, who sat quietly at the far end, wearing his usual bored expression.

"I mean, it's worth a try though," Grey chuckled loudly to himself, clearly ignoring his own warning as he decided to push forward with the reckless thought.

Beside the circles for the purple pills, he began drawing out the circles for the blue pills. He had made up his mind—he would create both types of pills together, regardless of how much mana and Ki it would consume from him.

"Let's test my limits. No—let's push past them," he said with a wide grin as he finished etching the last symbol. Then he paused, another thought flashing through his mind.

Without hesitation, he tweaked a few of the symbols, refining the formation just slightly. Finally, he settled down in the middle of the magic arrays, smiling to himself as he placed the remaining beast cores for the blue pills into their respective circles.

"What exactly are you trying to do?" Thalos finally asked, his curiosity piqued after watching Grey draw more circles than usual.

"Trying to make my work easier," Grey replied simply, his tone casual as he cut his palm and let droplets of blood fall into each circle.

Once the sacrifice was complete, he walked toward the circle designated for the blue pills and channeled both his wind and lightning magic into it. The moment his dual affinities surged forth, he immediately released a torrent of mana and Ki into all the circles at once.

In an instant, the entire room blazed with light, shining so intensely that it seemed as though radiance from the heavens themselves had descended, illuminating every corner with divine brilliance.

For several seconds, the light remained, powerful and overwhelming. Then, slowly, it dimmed, fading back into normality.

Grey, however, was still rooted in place. His eyes glowed with a blinding white light, his hair lifted above his shoulders as if carried by unseen winds, and waves of energy poured out of him in violent ripples. Visible mana and invisible Ki clashed and surged around his body, striking against the circles.

The pills were forming, yes—but at what cost? Grey could feel his energy rapidly draining. It was as if countless bloodthirsty monsters were sucking him dry, clawing at his life force with no mercy.

His face twitched in strain, sweat cascading down his cheeks in thick beads. His body trembled, his breathing grew heavy, and yet he refused to stop.

When he finally realized that the energy he had left wouldn't be enough to complete the pills, he quickly crossed his legs where he stood and, without hesitation, slipped into deep meditation, forcing his body to recover even as the formations greedily devoured his essence.

He began rapidly drawing mana from the air into his body. But the moment the mana entered through his skin and veins, it was instantly released from his body into the circle, causing it to continuously light up in a brilliant glow.

'Huh? The hell is he doing? Even from where I'm sitting, I can feel the influx of energy pouring out of him. It is tremendous and also unsettling,' Thalos thought with a worried expression plastered on his face.

'If I were some monster, I would surely be attracted to this beacon of energy. What am I even saying? My body feels like it wants to move towards h…' His thoughts trailed off as his eyes widened in horror.

The gargoyle immediately shot out of his seat, grabbing his dagger, which instantly transformed into a greatsword with a metallic shing that echoed across the room.

Thalos' eyes began glowing immensely as he stared behind Grey. A crackling noise resonated through the room, coming from just a few inches away from the concentrated mage.

Slowly, a tear in reality split open, forming a swirling black portal that immediately expelled a suffocating aura. The stench of it alone made Thalos nauseous.

'What is this? A portal break? Is a beast about to seep through? No! That's impossible. Th… th… this isn't the aura of a beast, it's something else entirely. Wait! Oh shit! It's headed for Grey!' Thalos roared internally. Without wasting another second, he bolted straight for the portal.

Careful to avoid destroying the glowing magic circle, the gargoyle appeared behind Grey just in time, for a claw burst out of the portal at an astonishing speed, aiming straight for the warrior mage.

"No you won't!" Thalos muttered darkly as he swung his greatsword. The blade clashed against the monstrous claw, producing a loud metallic ring.

The greatsword sliced through the claw with terrifying ease. Whatever it belonged to shrieked in agony on the other side of the portal. It began retreating but then lunged forward again, determined to land one more strike.

Its second claw ripped forward at an incredible speed, but Thalos had no intention of letting it touch Grey.

His eyes blazed brighter, and his sword rattled violently in his human hands as power surged through it. Without hesitation, the gargoyle swung diagonally, unleashing a massive slash of energy.

The slash tore forward at breakneck speed, colliding with the claw and cutting it clean through. The severed limb fell to the ground with a heavy thud that shook the floor.

Yet the attack didn't stop there. The slash continued straight into the portal, and a muffled explosion echoed from the other side.

The moment the energy strike passed through, the portal began to collapse, its swirling edges folding in on themselves before snapping shut with a loud crack.

Silence filled the room.

"Crap! What happened here?" Grey's voice broke the stillness as he finished creating the pills. He spun around just in time to see the room partially destroyed, debris scattered everywhere, and Thalos standing firm with his greatsword in hand, eyes glowing fiercely with lingering power.

'Th… that wasn't a beast! It's something else!' the gargoyle roared internally.