[E.M.Supreme] Chapter 9 – Royal Knights

Mark woke up to the clinking of metal boots and a headache that should have split his head in half. 

The world spun back and forth even with his eyes closed. Opening them only made it worse in ways he couldn’t quite explain. 

Yet, that did not matter to him. 

It didn’t matter that he was buck naked on the solid ground. It didn’t matter that his brain was screaming to turn around and face the group that were approaching him while he was day dreaming. It didn’t matter that his brain felt like it was trying to cannibalize itself in the most painful ways possible. 

What did matter to Mark was the system notification that hovered in front of him. 

The letters swam as though it was written on a pool of water and weren’t hovering before him.

New Skill Unlocked - 

The Endless Mage’s Spatial Mana Pool - Level (∞)

The Ultimate Mana Pool

250,000% Increase in Sequential Mana Manipulation to all Energies within Spatial Boundaries

Everything he read made a rush of relief surge through his entire body. 

It was salvation. 

Stability.

It really worked? It actually did work! I can’t believe it really actually…

Mark began to laugh in celebration, still high from the headache and the ecstasy of seeing a new skill that he had somehow unlocked through pure brute forcing the situation. 

He felt around and prompted the skill. The mana orb was hovering in darkness just as he imagined it would. Just waiting for him to work with considering he had a ridiculous boost to his mana manipulation as long as it was inside his [Spatial Mana Pool]. What happened when it escaped was another matter entirely. 

Now he had to test if it would work while he had his [Mana Negation] on. 

That would be a cherry on top of the iced treat!

Mark activated his [Mana Negation] skill and felt for the energy within his new mana pool. He could still feel it, though the connection was distant. Though it should be more than enough for him to touch and pull out the thousandth of a portion he intended to break the single orb into as soon as he got a chance. 

Let’s see if I can fire an attack–

Someone cleared their throat from behind him.

Mark jumped, screamed in the most shrill, high pitched voice he had ever had the misfortune of escaping him. He jerked his head, preparing to blast the entire room into nothingness, only [Mana Negation] being active prevented him from turning the world into flames.

His mouth dropped open, eyes bulged out of his head, and a sense of doom ran down his spine. 

The golden crest above their completely closed and pointed helmets. 

Pure white armor with golden lines and the insignia of the founder of the kingdom slaying a dragon on their left upper chest. 

Weapons at their hips and in their arms.

All five radiated a presence and aura that suffocated the room and Mark more than his attack had done. 

These men were all serving as living myths and legends written about in books and fantastical tales played in theaters. Royal Knights that have slain beasts and powerful Golden Classers that had full control of their power. Not a kid, who should have been a [Tanner], that had unlocked his skills that same day not even a few hours ago. 

Mark’s hands began to shake and already hurting head became clouded with the hundreds of ways they could have killed him..

C-Calm down! Calm down! 

It didn’t seem like it was possible to prevent his limbs from trembling.

Just a few hours ago, or however long he had been out cold, he had imagined fighting Royal Knights. Defeating them as they appeared. Laughing in the faces of those that would see him dead quicker than he could say the word ‘leather’. Dominating the land as the greatest mage alive.

Yet, he found himself crumbling. 

Mark was nothing but a fifteen year old kid who had not seen anything outside of the surroundings of the small industrial town he called home. Life had been boring, quiet, and stable, at least it had been until today. Everything had been thrown over its head. 

How many stories had he read? Theater plays he watched? Poems? Reenactments of the kids he played with when he was younger?

Now they stood before him.

Calm the hell down! I have [Mana Negation] on anyway. They won’t be able to detect anything coming from me and if necessary, I have the orb in the [Spatial Mana Pool]. 

For a moment, he thought about wearing their armor and wielding their weapons if it ever came to a fight and he won, but Mark threw that out immediately. Royal Knights were celebrities that drew more attention than even a high ranking noble. Parades were thrown when they arrived, maidens threw themselves at them, gold in large treasure chests were pulled by giant draft horses on even bigger wagons, and the city stopped everything they were doing to witness them. 

Walking around with one was far too conspicuous and would out him near immediately. 

Unless I can somehow change the way it looks?

Mark blinked, he had dozed off already, still tipsy from the headache.

A hand was waving in front of his face. The Knights were already standing around him. “–hello? Can you hear me? Son? What’s your name?”

He turned to look at the man kneeling beside him. Short, buzz cut, clear brown eyes and an average face. Nothing would have indicated that he was a monster capable of potentially soloing this entire dungeon by himself had he been walking around the village. Other than maybe the sheer presence he carried about him. 

Mark stammered and stumbled over his tongue, unable to form words. 

There was no indication if this was because of the pain that lanced through his head with every pulse of his heart of the terror he felt seeing the literal bane of his existence showing up in a group of five as though they were looking for him specifically. 

Any indication that they were and Mark was going to blast the entire dungeon with every ounce of his mana in his core in hopes that he could buy himself time and run down to the next floor before they could catch him. He was unsure if they were strong enough to survive everything he could throw at them. If the myths and legends were to be believed, then every single Golden Classer in the past millennium had been slain without any ever escaping. 

At least the ones that made it public.

“Check him out, Smith,” said the largest man between them. The one with the Captain crest on his shoulder. 

Mark felt mana rush through his entire body checking him up and down by the Knight that was kneeling next to him. A black stone that shone white touched his naked skin. A cold feeling filled his entire chest and had nothing to latch onto as it searched him up and down. His [Mana Negation] skill was doing its job. 

“Manaless, Classless, and clearly terrified,” said Smith with a deep frown on his face. 

Another one approached. “He has the Shakes? I’ve never seen it from up close before.”

Smith nodded, but otherwise said nothing. 

“It’s expected,” the Commander, if Mark was right, said as he walked toward him slowly. “If he saw a dragon going nova, then kept alive for more heinous reasons, then it is only right he is down right unable to speak or act in any way right now. He will need some time.”

“What do dragons do with people they kidnap like him?”

The Commander kneeled and took off his helm, a wave of golden hair fell down and a giant goofy smile graced Mark. “Son. Did the dragon… W-Were you,” he cleared his throat as if to give his words more meaning, but Mark could see past the seriousness. “Were you violated?”