The Assassin's Seven Principles of Manipulation

Chapter 355: Chapter 350 — Priceless Wisdom

Zephyrion nodded slightly, and Demorian continued.

’As for why I made you wait before advancing... firstly, the higher your rank, the harder and more painful reforging becomes. Wait too long and it might even fail completely, especially with something major like your bones or muscles. It’s an annoying balance, honestly. You need to be strong enough to survive the reforging, but not so far along that your body becomes too difficult to change.’

’And the other reason?’

’Because when you finally advance to Herald, completing this reforging first will make the benefits far greater.’ Demorian paused, then added with unusual confidence, ’Trust this ancestor. You’ll thank me.’

Trust was not something Zephyrion would say he felt for the ancestor, though that had less to do with his own trust issues and more to do with Demorian’s seemingly careless and incompetent nature. Regardless, he didn’t exactly have another option, so he simply nodded.

’...alright. Let’s get this over with.’

’Urgh, finally. Brace yourself, protege. This will hurt worse than breaking a hymen.’

Zephyrion’s expression had barely begun to twist when the rod in his grasp suddenly flared, and excruciating pain flooded his entire body.

Zephyrion crashed to the floor, barely able to hear his own screams over the agony tearing through him. It felt as though every muscle in his body was being ripped apart strand by strand, only to be forced back together and torn apart again without pause.

There was no room to think, much less endure it with any dignity. There was only pain.

It continued for what felt like an eternity before, mercifully, darkness finally claimed him.

...

Zephyrion groggily opened his eyes to a blurry world. It took several seconds for his vision to begin clearing, seconds he used to examine himself.

His body felt... surprisingly good. There wasn’t a single trace of soreness, only a damning fog weighing on his mind, leaving even his thoughts sluggish and slow.

’...is it done?’ he asked.

’Why don’t you take a look for yourself, protege?’ came Demorian’s strangely excited response.

By the time his vision fully cleared, Zephyrion pushed himself off the bed, though he did do with extreme caution. He was the only one in the room, and given that the metal bolts still secured the door and windows, he imagined Lumi had only briefly stepped out.

Zephyrion approached the mirror mounted on the wall and examined himself. The sight of his shirtless body came as quite a surprise.

Through years of training, Zephyrion had already developed a lean, well-defined physique. Now, however, it looked as though every muscle had been carved directly from stone.

They were sharper and far more defined, resembling tightly wound cords of steel beneath his skin rather than ordinary flesh. Even his jawline seemed sharper than before.

More surprising, however, was how Zephyrion currently felt.

It was difficult to put into words. It was almost like the boundless feeling that came immediately after an intense workout, when every muscle felt swollen with strength, except this sensation permeated his entire body. He genuinely felt as though he could punch through a mountain and remain in one piece.

Zephyrion slowly curled his fingers into a fist, feeling the power brimming beneath his skin.

’If I’d had this against Arcturus...’

That first exchange with Arcturus wouldn’t have ended with a few fissures spreading across his arm. With the strength he possessed now, his arm would have probably been obliterated instead.

As he continued examining himself, Demorian’s head slowly floated into view beside his own reflection, the ancestor staring at his body with an almost disturbingly bright glint in his eyes.

’...beautiful. Absolutely beautiful.’

Zephyrion slowly turned his gaze towards him. ’...why are you looking at me like that?’

’Because a dream has finally been realized, my protege.’ Demorian grinned widely. ’Just look at you! A body carved by the gods, a devilishly handsome face... Gods, women are going to take one look at you and forget they were raised properly!’

’....’

Zephyrion stared at him for a moment before returning his attention to the mirror.

Of course that was the first thing that came to the ancestor’s mind.

’Think about it, protege. You don’t even need to learn how to talk to women anymore. Just stop wearing shirts. Permanently. This ancestor guarantees they’ll come flocking—!’

Zephyrion waved a hand and sealed the man away before he could continue. Then, using what little space his room provided, he began testing the changes to his body.

His muscles felt completely different, as though they were no longer made entirely of flesh, but countless fine metallic fibers woven together beneath his skin.

They could contract with incredible speed, releasing their strength all at once and sending him forward in violent bursts. They could stretch farther than ordinary muscles should, twist without tearing, and transfer force through his body far more efficiently than before.

Even more noticeable was how they interacted with his metallic bones. The immense strain that had previously torn his muscles with every movement was simply absorbed now, his bones and muscles working together in perfect harmony.

For a moment, Zephyrion couldn’t help but genuinely praise Demorian for creating such an art. Were it not for the ancestor’s questionable behavior, he would have given the man far more accolades.

’I guess I know what comes next.’

Through his examination, Zephyrion had already noticed which part of his body was beginning to suffer under the combined strain of his metallic bones and newly reforged muscles. Apparently, Demorian hadn’t been exaggerating. Each reforging naturally revealed what needed to come next.

Done with his examination, Zephyrion finally reached out to the ancestor again.

’Now I can advance to Herald, right?’

He hoped the answer was nothing but yes. Instead, Demorian’s grumbling voice immediately filled his mind.

’...protege, we really need to discuss the way you treat this ancestor. You can’t just seal me away whenever you don’t like what I’m saying! Especially when I’m imparting priceless wisdom!’

’...talking about women’s panties is priceless wisdom?’