"Hmm?"

Caught off guard by the unexpected message from Headmaster Jean, Vale's curiosity piqued. Without hesitation, he altered his course and made his way to the Headmaster's office, wondering what gift his master, Dark Alchemist Heinz Becker, had sent.

'He finally thought of sending something for me. If I hadn't stolen all that money from the pockets of the corpses before, I would've starved to death here.' Vale mused, exaggerating his situation.

Well, even if he didn't pick up their money, he could certainly earn some money here if he wanted to.

Clink~

Upon arriving at the office, Vale was greeted by the imposing figure of Headmaster Jean, who wore an enigmatic smile.

Behind him, a small package wrapped in black velvet sat on the desk, emanating an aura of mystery.

Headmaster Jean gestured for Vale to come closer. "Vale, your master has been keeping a close eye on your progress. He believes in your potential, and with the Twelve Academies Competition approaching, he probably sent you this gift to aid you in the competition..."

"Mhmm Thank you, Headmaster. You even troubled yourself. You should have just left it in my dormitory." Vale replied in gratitude.

He felt that the Headmaster shouldn't even deal with this matter. He could've just used one of his Shadow Soldiers to send the package to him.

'Ahhh' Vale paused as he looked at the Headmaster carefully.

'Does it mean that this gift is quite special?' Vale's eyes suddenly lit up as he reached this thought.

Since the Headmaster had to give it directly to him, the gift was probably something important or perhaps he was just overthinking these things.

Headmaster Jean seemed to know his thoughts as she smiled at him.

"Here I already inspected it with my Spell. It should be safe. I'm also unaware of what kind of item it contains, so I'm guessing that it's related to the Malefic Branch. It's quite interesting since I can't recognize its energy fluctuation."

"Malefic Branch? I guess that makes sense, Headmaster." Vale replied with a nod.

He then carefully unwrapped the package, revealing a beautifully crafted obsidian amulet adorned with intricate runic symbols or at least what it looks like.

The Amulet resonated with dark energy, pulsating with an otherworldly glow.

Headmaster Jean continued. "There was a note in his letter to me Heinz mentioned that the Amulet he's giving to you is his creation. It is probably imbued with the essence of malefic energies, designed to enhance your abilities and provide you with an edge in the competition."

Of course, this was only his guess since he was still unsure about the Malefic Dark Arts that Vale had learned.

'Ohhh So this Amulet can increase the power of my Spell Dispersion Interesting. I just hope that it helps me control it instead.' Vale mused. After all, his Spell Dispersion still affects an area instead of a targeted Arcanist. It means that the dispersion of spells would work on his friends' Spells and even his own.

This was why Spell Dispersion must always be the first to be released in his Spell Attacks. It was also not advisable to use this Spell when doing a combination attack with a team unless they were aware of his Spells.

Of course, it's not every day that he gets a gift, so Vale's heart swelled with gratitude as he thanked the Headmaster.

The Amulet felt warm against his palm, as if it were calling out to him, urging him to embrace the power it held.

He couldn't wait to try it out.

After confirming that Headmaster Jean no longer has anything to say, Vale slightly bowed

"I'll take my leave now, Headmaster. I'm going to try this out in the Practice Hall."

"Mhm Go ahead. Make sure that you can wield it." Headmaster Jean replied, waving his hand as he watched the young man leave.

As soon as the door closed, Jean seemed to have recalled something.

"Ahhh Did I mention about his fellow disciples attending the Academy next year?" He muttered. After some thought, he just shook his head

Anyway, this matter doesn't seem to be that important, so he no longer bothered Vale about it.

***

After leaving the Headmaster's office, Vale couldn't contain his excitement. He considered going to the Exchange Hall to have this item officially appraised by the mysterious lady working in that place.

He knows that with the skills of that lady, she should be capable of giving him good feedback about this Mystical Item.

However, after some thought, he decided to take the challenge of exploring it on his own. After all, he needed some sort of skill to appraise some items since he had been finding various Mystical Items whenever he went out of the Academy or even just by entering the Dark Soul Tower inside the Academy.

'Mhmm It's quite unusual, but this is indeed an item for the Malefic Branch.' Vale silently thought.

Thanks to his Phantasm State, Vale was able to tell that the Amulet was indeed an item for the Malefic Arts.

Soon, Vale replaced his current Protector Amulet, adorning his neck, with the Obsidian Amulet. Then, he made his way to the center of the training.

He carefully clasped the obsidian Amulet in his hands. Its smooth surface seemed to radiate a subtle warmth.

With determination in his eyes, he began his series of experiments, eager to discover the extent of the Amulet's power.

As Vale channeled his energy into the Amulet, a surge of Dark Energy enveloped him, enhancing his senses and deepening his connection to his Phantasm State.

'Hmm? Is this similar to the Protector Amulet?' Vale mused as he felt the similarity to the Amulet he received in his first year at the Academy.

Soon, he felt a peculiar sensation coursing through his body, as if an invisible force was strengthening his very essence.

'This'

Vale's eyes widened.

Through rigorous experimentation, he soon realized that the Amulet had an unexpected effect on his Incorruptible Body!

He immediately felt excited since his Inccoruptible Body had already reached Level 9, or the Peak of the Advanced Realm! Perhaps the Amulet could actually allow him to reach the Perfect Realm!