Remembering Ur's instructions, Ethan glanced toward the path down the mountain.
Today, Ur had gone into town to buy supplies, leaving the snowy peaks temporarily without her watchful eye. To prevent Lyon from stirring up trouble, she had asked Ethan who was far more dependable despite being the same age to keep an eye on him.
Because every time Ethan meditated he absorbed magic particles at a frightening rate, he had deliberately kept his training some distance away from Lyon.
But when Ethan turned back to check on him, his expression darkened.
Lyon was gone.
Ethan's heart skipped a beat. He quickly stood up, scanning the snowy clearing, but there was no sign of Lyon. If something happened to that brat under his watch, it would be a disaster.
Leaping down the slope, Ethan reached the place where Lyon had been sitting. Two neat rows of faint footprints stretched across the snow, heading straight down the mountain.
"This direction… home?" Ethan frowned. Something wasn't right. Jogging alone wouldn't make him sneak away like this.
Without hesitation, Ethan followed the tracks.
The footprints led him directly toward Ur's residence at the mountain's base.
By the time Ethan arrived at the manor, Lyon's suspicious behavior was plain as day. Peeking around a corner, Ethan spotted Lyon sticking his head out of a doorway, glancing left and right like a thief before ducking back inside.
If Ethan hadn't dodged quickly, Lyon might have caught him watching.
But that action alone confirmed it Lyon was definitely up to something.
Ethan's curiosity burned. What was Lyon sneaking around for? He wasn't the type to betray Ur.
Silently, Ethan slipped into the house. Lyon had been too anxious; he hadn't even bothered to wipe away the wet footprints he'd tracked across the wooden floor. Following them step by step, Ethan soon arrived at a place he hadn't expected.
"This… the Magic Book Warehouse?" Ethan's eyes narrowed in surprise.
Unlike Ur's study, which mostly stored notes and ordinary texts, this chamber was where she kept her true collection grimoires and records of powerful magic.
And Lyon… had dared to sneak inside.
This place was unlike any other room in Ur's home.
Lining the shelves were countless grimoires and scrolls, not just Ice Magic, but tomes of Fire, Earth, and even darker attributes. Yet none of them carried the warmth of knowledge each seemed to radiate a faint, ominous aura.
Ur had warned them many times never to enter here.
"These are remnant magics," she had said, her tone sharp. "Dangerous techniques abandoned for a reason. Their side effects are severe practicing them recklessly could destroy your body, even your life."
Because of that, Ethan had never once dared to step foot inside. Even with his system, he hadn't wanted to risk Ur's suspicion.
But now, as he quietly eased the door open, the sight before him made his heart tighten.
Lyon stood in the dim glow of a magic lamp, clutching a thick tome with trembling hands, his eyes wide with excitement. On the cover, written in ancient runes, were the words
Absolute Freeze.
Ethan's breath caught.
That magic again… the one destined to change everything.
He instantly understood why Lyon was here. Ur would never willingly pass this spell down. Its price was too terrible: the caster's body itself would be sacrificed to complete the seal. To wield Absolute Freeze was to trade life for victory.
But Ethan's eyes sharpened. For Lyon, this magic is a death sentence. For me… it's an opportunity.
With his system, he didn't have to pay the same price. If he could obtain it, he could exchange it for an immortal technique turning Lyon's path to tragedy into his own path to strength.
Resolving himself, Ethan pushed the door open with a firm hand.
The sudden sound made Lyon jump like he'd been struck by lightning. His body stiffened, and the grimoire nearly slipped from his hands.
"W–what are you doing here!" Lyon's voice cracked, his face pale as he whirled around.
Ethan stepped inside, his gaze cool and steady, eyes falling directly on the taboo magic in Lyon's grip.
"Ding! Detection complete
Target: Forbidden Magic · Absolute Freeze.
Beginning immortal art exchange…"
Ethan's heart thumped in anticipation as the ancient runes across the book's cover flickered faintly in his hands. A moment later, the cold voice of the system rang out again.
"Ding! Exchange successful. Congratulations, host, on obtaining intermediate immortal art: Eternal Glacier Seal."
[Eternal Glacier Seal]: Intermediate immortal art. Unlike Absolute Freeze, which demands the caster's life as sacrifice, Eternal Glacier Seal draws on the host's immortal body to channel endless ice power. The user can seal targets within an eternal glacial prison, locking both body and magic. Duration and strength depend on the magic power infused. No life-forfeiting side effects.
Ethan's pupils shrank, excitement flashing across his face.
Sure enough. The taboo that costs Ur her life… in my hands, it transforms into power.
Just thinking about the original history the day when Ur would trade everything to save Gray made his chest tighten. But now, things were different. With this art in his grasp, he would never allow that future tragedy to unfold.
He snapped the book shut with a calm smile, sliding it back across the table toward Lyon.
"Here. You saw nothing, I saw nothing."
Lyon blinked, stunned. "…You're not keeping it?"
"Didn't you say you were only helping Ur 'tidy up'?" Ethan's smile was faint, mocking yet unreadable.
Lyon clenched his teeth, but in his young arrogance, he mistook Ethan's indifference as magnanimity. "Hmph. As expected, you know what's good for you. But remember sooner or later, I'll surpass you."
Ethan only chuckled softly, his fingers unconsciously brushing against his chest where the new immortal art pulsed with cold promise.
Surpass me? Lyon, if you only knew…
....
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