~ 💎 WEEKLY POWER GOALS 💎🔥 60→1ch | 100→2ch | 200→5ch ⏰ Resets Monday!
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Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, Epsilon, Zeta, Eta — all seven had turned eighteen.
Delta bounded over to Shino and sat down obediently.
Shino reached out and patted her head.
“Master, can I see your weapon?” Delta asked, excitement bleeding into her voice.
“Sure.”
Shino handed her the Stellar Sword.
The moment Delta’s fingers closed around the hilt, a crushing weight slammed through her hand.
She channeled every drop of magic she had, gripping with everything she had.
It didn’t matter.
The Stellar Sword dropped like a stone.
Half the blade buried itself into the floor.
“Boss, this thing is so heavy!”
The Mist Dragon finally understood why Shino moved so slowly.
This sword was the reason.
Shino had poured everything into forging this weapon — tempering slime magic through thousands of refinements.
Even Shadow’s ultimate technique, the Nuclear Explosion, couldn’t scratch it.
Delta dug in with every ounce of strength, trying to pull the Stellar Sword free.
It didn’t budge.
Alpha and the others tried too.
Nothing.
The weapon wasn’t just heavy — it demanded an insane amount of magic from its wielder.
Anyone with insufficient power would have their magic drained dry the moment they touched it.
Only Shino and Cid could handle this thing.
After that, Shino and the Seven Shadows cleaned the place up.
It had been empty for a long time, dust everywhere.
Shino conjured a small tornado with his magic and sucked away the worst of it.
Most of the space was spotless in seconds.
When everything was done, they shared another reunion dinner.
This time, Shino did the cooking.
Everyone said it was incredible.
“Lord Phantom is too amazing!
Even his cooking is this good!”
After the meal, Alpha suggested the seven of them spar with Shino.
He agreed without hesitation.
While fighting all seven at once, Shino still found time to call out flaws in their techniques.
In the end, none of them landed a single hit.
All seven were defeated.
That night, Shino invited the Seven Shadows to watch the stars.
They climbed to the highest point in the ancient capital of Alexandria, the top of the watchtower.
It was spacious enough for all eight of them.
When everyone had fallen asleep, Shino didn’t disturb them.
He stood beside Alpha instead.
“Alpha, how’s the intelligence gathering going?”
“One thing is confirmed.
The Cult’s highest authority is the Twelve Round Table Knights.
And we’ve located the base of the Tenth Seat.
Originally, I thought our strength wasn’t enough to destroy it.
But after seeing your power, I feel much more confident.”
“As long as you’re with us, we can do anything.”
A breeze stirred Alpha’s golden hair.
Under the moonlight, she was stunning.
Shino opened his mouth to say something.
Alpha pressed a finger to his lips.
“Don’t say anything.
Don’t do anything.”
She stepped back.
Turned her head toward the moon.
Without waking anyone, Shino returned to his original spot.
He used magic to create a tent and blankets so no one would catch a cold.
The next day, Shino, Beta, and Gamma visited the Mitsugoshi Trading Company.
Under Gamma’s leadership, it had grown to a modest scale, for now, just a bicycle specialty store.
Magical swordsmen didn’t need bicycles.
But this world wasn’t all magical swordsmen.
Ordinary people were the majority.
And for ordinary people, bicycles were genuinely useful.
Gamma wanted to expand, but she still couldn’t find enough people she trusted.
So she maintained the status quo.
The store pulled in nearly a million Zeni every day.
It was the only bicycle shop in the entire world.
Plenty of people tried to copy the design.
But none of them could figure out how to make the pedals disengage when pedaling backward.
The knockoffs had pedals that spun with the rear wheel, and their frames were so unstable they’d tip over with the slightest wobble.
Seeing the Mitsugoshi Trading Company thriving, Shino felt relieved.
That night, he slept at Gamma’s place.
Beta and Gamma each had their own bed.
Shino had a separate one.
In the middle of the night, someone broke into the shop.
“Ah, this is the seventh time this month.
They just won’t quit, will they?” Beta sighed.
➤ Next: Courtesy Demands Reciprocity