Evan POV:

  As I finished pondering the terrifying implications of how absurdly overpowered my kids were, a few things became clear.

  Faith and Hope?

  Yeah. Definitely some future endgame-level characters.

  Considering everything that happened today, I should probably start teaching them some magic. Or at least melee. Or ranged. Maybe all three.

  Even though they’re, what... a week old?

  ...

  So this is why parents always say, “Feels like just yesterday they were this small.”

  I snapped my fingers, and the dome shattered like glass, fragmenting into shimmering pieces before fading into mana dust.

  I casually brushed the air off my hands.

  “Welp. That takes care of that.”

  “Evan!”

  Luna launched herself into me like a missile, wrapping her arms around me before I even had time to react.

  “I’m glad… I’m so glad...” she whispered, her voice cracking as she buried her face into my shoulder.

  I smiled gently and patted her head.

  “Sorry for worrying you all.”

  “I knew Shishou would win!” Lucy grinned.

  “I never doubted him,” Oswald added proudly, puffing out his chest.

  Luna finally let go and began wiping her face, still sniffling a little.

  I glanced around.

  Lucy and Oswald were as optimistic as ever. Tifa stood nearby, one hand over her heart, breathing out a deep, relieved sigh.

  And Daisy was also... there, I guess.

  I clapped my hands once. “Oh come on, you guys really thought that would be enough to finish me off?”

  “You mean the part where we fought an actual demi-god?” Aisha cut in dryly, arms crossed. “The only reason we’re still breathing is because of pure dumb luck and the fact that I happened to know Summon Cancel. Which, again—dumb luck.”

  We stared at each other for a second.

  Then I turned to the rest of the group, throwing up a confident thumbs-up.

  “All part of the plan!”

  Aisha raised her hand in the air, joining the pose.

  “Pfft! Evan and I are an unstoppable dream team!”

  I raised an eyebrow.

  “Says the one who didn’t do anything.”

  Aisha just smiled sweetly. “Excuse you. I’m the reason you’re alive and the Moon Lord is down.”

  I pointed dramatically. “Oh yeah? And who was the one pulling your royal butt out of the way of every attack like, ten times in a row?”

  “You should be honored to carry a princess like me,” she said with faux elegance, tossing her hair.

  We stared each other down. Dead serious.

  Then at the same time, we both raised our hands in front of us.

  “Truce?” I asked.

  “Truce,” she agreed.

  We nodded solemnly.

  Then turned toward the rest of the group—who were all just kind of standing there, watching us with expressions that ranged from amused to mildly concerned.

  “So, what do we do now?” Daisy asked, brushing her hair back as she glanced at the very defeated pile of tied-up cultists.

  “Well, first of all, none of these guys are dead—which is convenient. We can wring a ton of info out of them about the cult. Daisy, can I count on you for that?”

  “O-Of course,” she said quickly, standing a little straighter.

  “You do realize you’re talking to a queen, right?” Aisha added, crossing her arms with a smirk.

  I grinned at her, then looked back to Daisy. “Of course I know. But Daisy doesn’t mind. Isn’t that right?”

  Daisy paused, sighed, then nodded. “Well… as much as I hate to admit it, talking to Evan always feels more like talking to a friend than royalty. So no, I don’t really mind.”

  Another sigh. “It’s just that sometimes… he becomes too unruly.”

  “Hey now,” I said, wagging a finger. “You know you like it.”

  “I will never forgive you for what you did at the coliseum.”

  “Duly noted…” I shrugged. “And completely ignored.”

  She just sighed again like she was already used to this.

  With the banter cooling off, I turned to look at the unconscious cultists again—most of them still groaning, tied up like cocooned regrets.

  But one of them still stuck in my mind.

  The masked one.

  The leader.

  I scratched the back of my head, then turned to Daisy.

  “Okay, so… I’ve been meaning to ask this for a bit. How many siblings do you have?”

  “Hm? Just one brother and one sister. You already met my big sister, Isabella. Why do you ask?”

  Brother, huh?

  “Can you, uh, describe your brother for me?”

  She tilted her head slightly. “Not much to say. His name’s Ramas Gabriel. He’s been missing for a few years now—after my father deemed him unworthy of the crown.”

  Unworthy?

  That’s cold.

  I mean, sure, Daisy became queen young, but if they were throwing away heirs like that—

  “How does the crowning system even work here?” I muttered under my breath. “Anyway… how did he look?”

  She tapped her chin thoughtfully. “Well… He looked really handsome—thin frame, sharp features. But the most distinct trait? Pink hair. Just like me and everyone else in my family.”

  …

  Pink hair.

  Handsome.

  A little too dramatic?

  …

  Oh.

  Oh no.

  I slowly turned my gaze back toward the batch of tied of cultists and spotted the pink hair cultist leader.

  Still out cold.

  ...

  Welp.

  I guess the crown’s judgment system wasn’t wrong after all.

  Daisy passed.

  And that guy?

  Became a cultist.

  Not exactly a glowing resume.

  “Okay then,” I said, clapping my hands. “Lucy, Oswald—please make sure these cultist idiots don’t go anywhere.”

  Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

  The two of them nodded without question, already stepping into guard mode.

  “And Daisy—can you register me for the Professional Grandmaster Entry-level?” I added with a grin. “Oh, and uh... don’t check on the cultist situation until after my part of the deal is done.”

  Daisy narrowed her eyes at me. “…I’m suspicious of whatever it is you’re plotting, but... fine.”

  She agreed, but I could tell she was mentally putting me on a watchlist.

  Still, I had to make sure she didn’t get a look at the masked guy just yet. If she saw the body before I activated my access, she'd lose it, and then? My library entry would get delayed.

  And that, I could not allow.

  So, priorities.

  Daisy—thankfully—helped push the paperwork through.

  The guards arrived shortly after and rounded up the cultists, dragging them off like trash bags full of failure.

  Unfortunately for me—but also hilariously for her—Daisy found out during my activation process that her long-lost brother had been shacked up with the cultists the whole time.

  The exact moment she realized it?

  Right after I got my Grandmaster credentials.

  She looked at me. Cold. Unblinking.

  Daggers.

  Knives.

  Entire enchanted weapon sets.

  It was the look of someone who’d finally connected the dots and realized exactly why I had asked her about her siblings earlier.

  I smiled back and waved casually.

  Did I feel bad?

  Absolutely not.

  I got what I came for.

  She, unfortunately, had to go with the guards as part of the investigation regarding her brother.

  Whoops.

  Anyway, silver linings: I didn’t just get basic Grandmaster access.

  Nope.

  They gave me something better.

  Turns out, I can also bring other people into the Grandmaster section as long as I’m with them. Like a magic VIP pass. Aisha can’t even do that, for some reason.

  So now?

  It’s the whole squad inside the library.

  And let me tell you—this place is massive.

  Five floors tall, built like a palace. From the outside, it looks sleek and refined, like something you'd see on a fantasy travel brochure.

  But the inside?

  Especially the Grandmaster level?

  It’s like walking into a high-class Noble’s house.

  There’s this gentle floral scent in the air, coming from all these beautifully arranged flower pots placed throughout the floor. Vases filled with colorful blossoms line the walls. Everything’s made of a rich, dark-brown wood—probably Boreal Wood, if my Terraria knowledge is still on point.

  There are polished windows, elegant tables and chairs, bookcases taller than any of us, and even framed paintings that probably cost more than my entire inventory.

  Man they really made it so that you wouldn’t wanna leave this place considering the amount of books here.

  … Would be a real shame if someone just learnt everything.

  “Alright, everyone,” I said, clapping my hands once. “We’re gonna be staying here until my friend contacts me. So read all you want. Go nuts.”

  The group nodded and immediately scattered like kids on a field trip—everyone heading off in different directions, eyes sparkling with the kind of excitement only bookworms and mages understand.

  Everyone except Aisha, that is.

  She stuck close, standing next to me as Faith and Hope held onto both of my hands like the adorable little bodyguards they were.

  “I don’t really need to read anything right now,” Aisha said, stretching her arms behind her head. “I’m working on upgrading my Blazing Dragon spell.”

  “Upgrade?” I blinked.

  “Yeah,” she replied casually. “It’s slowly leveling up in the background while I talk to you.”

  “…Excuse me?”

  She smiled. “As long as I know a spell, I can learn or upgrade it in the background while doing other stuff. I can only work on one at a time, though—and each spell takes its own amount of time.”

  “That’s…” I paused. “That’s insanely unfair.”

  “Hmm? What about you?” she asked.

  “I don’t even have a skill tree or anything. I just... do a thing once, and bam. Skill unlocked. No learning time. No prerequisites.”

  Aisha tilted her head thoughtfully. “Ohhh. Then you definitely need to read the Magical Spells Guidebook. It unlocked almost every spell for me—and I think I can learn all of them because, well... Hero of Magic and all.”

  “I wonder,” I muttered.

  She grinned and motioned for me to follow her. We walked past rows of elegant bookcases until she stopped at one in the corner. Her finger ran along the spines before she pulled out a thick, yellow-covered tome.

  Magical Spells Guide.

  I told Faith and Hope to go see what the others were up to for a bit. They nodded happily and trotted off, hand in hand.

  I cracked open the book.

  A blue notification screen immediately appeared in front of me.

  “Encyclopedia of all Magical Skills Unlocked!

  You can now review every Magical Skill available in this world.”

  I froze.

  “…Holy moly,” I whispered.

  I was literally shaking in my silver boots.

  Like a kid who just found a chest full of candy, fireworks, and free game tokens—all at once.

  “...All the magical spells are unlocked for me now.”

  “Congrats,” Aisha said with a soft smile. “You do your thing. I’m gonna go play with Faith and Hope.”

  “Thanks, Aisha,” I said, still slightly stunned.

  She started walking away, then turned her head with a little grin. “Oh, come on. We’re friends. I’m just glad you’re here with me.”

  “Likewise.”

  I.

  Can’t.

  Flippin’ WAIT to get started!

  I practically skipped over to a nearby chair, plopped down like a kid in an arcade, and summoned the magical encyclopedia into existence with a single thought.

  Boom.

  A bajillion spells exploded into view—lines and lines of glowing text, organized by type, level, and some absolutely unhinged names.

  In my head?

  I was screaming like a fangirl at her first idol concert.

  I glanced at just the first page and already felt like I’d stumbled into the forbidden section of a wizard’s wish list.

  Let me read a few of these for you:

  Eternal Damnation

  Description: Damn someone. Forever.

  Unlock Requirement: Kill the same person twice.

  …

  Yeah, I’m not gonna ask how that works. Or why it exists.

  Ragnar?k

  Description: Summon massive swords that rain down from the heavens like angry divine spears.

  Unlock Requirement: Conjure two or more Bound Weapons OR find and read its respective book.

  Why does this feel dangerously familiar? And what the hell is a Bound Weapon? That sounds illegal.

  Nightmare

  Description: Summon the strongest, most terrifying creature your target fears the most.

  Unlock Requirement: Either summon a fear-based entity manually, or learn the spell directly from the Rodney Family.

  Wait. Isn’t that the exact spell Itla used? That’s kinda sick… and also mildly concerning.

  What I did notice was that most spells have multiple unlock paths.

  Some required crazy conditions.

  Some just needed the right book.

  Some... I think you could accidentally unlock by tripping the wrong way in front of an angry goose during a full moon.

  And the creativity?

  Absolutely off the charts.

  There was one spell called Sap Totem—get this:

  It creates a tiny wooden totem that shoots lightning bubbles into the air.

  Those bubbles zap enemies near it, charging the totem... and once it’s powered up?

  It switches modes to heal all of your allies.

  Shocking your enemies to love your friends.

  What kind of chaotic good wizardry is this!?

  I was in awe. A magical Disneyland. A spellcraft buffet.

  But right now?

  Focus.

  There was one thing I needed to do:

  Upgrade the Magic Ball.

  Mine breaks after one hit, and frankly, for how iconic it is, that's just disrespectful.

  I flicked open the spell filter and typed in: Magic Ball.

  I could’ve kissed the gods when I saw it—

  Magic Ball – Toughness

  Finally.

  Magic Ball – Toughness

  Upgrades the base Magic Ball spell to survive more than one hit.

  Survivability scales with the amount of mana placed into it.

  To Unlock: Hold a Mana Ball of 20 MP or lower for 1 minute OR read its respective book.

  …

  So the only reason I hadn’t unlocked this earlier…

  Was because I’d been pumping too much mana into my spell like a proud dad at a gym.

  THIS IS BULLSHIT.

  I sighed dramatically, then rolled up my metaphorical sleeves.

  Welp. Guess I’m gonna be here a while.

  I started working on the upgrade—channeling a light 20 MP into the ball and keeping it stable—when suddenly...

  “Papa! Look what I found! You might like this!” Faith called out, waddling over with a bright blue book in her hands.

  “I brought one too!” Hope added, holding a red book and smiling like she just discovered treasure.

  Ahh. They’re too cute. I can’t even.

  They set their books gently on the table and climbed up beside me—one on each side—like magical armrests made of pure wholesomeness.

  They didn’t say much. Just sat there. Watching me.

  Perfectly content.

  A few minutes passed, and the notification blinked in front of me.

  Skill Unlocked: Magic Ball – Toughness

  Yes!

  Soon after, the rest of the group wandered over, one by one, each carrying a book or scroll. They sat nearby, flipping through pages, whispering spells, or just enjoying the peaceful library air. The chaos of before felt miles away.

  I turned to the books Faith and Hope had picked out for me.

  They were thin—eight to ten pages each—but incredibly focused. Each one was about a single spell. Efficient, concise. A very “Faith & Hope” kind of book.

  I opened the first one.

  Skill Unlocked: Doppelganger

  Create a copy of yourself.

  Description: The copy’s intelligence and effectiveness scale based on the mana used to summon it.

  Mana Cost: N/A

  Duration: N/A

  Oh?

  OHHHHH!

  This was gonna be fun.

  I then opened the second.

  Skill Unlocked: Shadow Blade

  Summon a bound dagger made from your own shadow.

  Description: Insane speed, moderate damage, short range.

  Mana Cost: 20

  Duration: N/A

  I sat back.

  Wait a second.

  Bound weapon...?

  Oh snap. Isn’t that one of the requirements for unlocking Ragnar?k?

  So this is what it means to have a bound weapon.

  Neat.

  But honestly?

  My curiosity was more hooked on Doppelganger.

  Because now I had the power… to legally clone myself.

  {Author Note: A weapon to surpass… Metal gear.}

  I activated the spell with Mana Ball Just so I could dump my entire mana tank into it to increase the proficiency/power of the spell.

  I threw the mana ball to the other side of the table, and With a shimmer of light and a flicker of energy, a dude popped into existence on the other side of the table.

  He looked exactly like me.

  Same silver armor. Same smug grin. Same impossibly cool hair.

  Tifa, who just came back from playing around nearby, stared at the two of us in complete disbelief.

  “…What the hell,” she muttered.

  I stood up with a flourish, gesturing to my newly summoned counterpart.

  “Hello there, handsome gentleman,” I said with dramatic charm. “What might you require from this Alpha version of yourself?”

  The copy gave me a knowing nod.

  “Oh, please,” he replied. “I was utterly fascinated by your raw, unfiltered energy. I simply had to join the party.”

  Holy crap!

  He wasn’t just a copy.

  He was literally me.

  FR FR!

  A few seconds later, Aisha walked in, probably here to check on me—and immediately froze mid-step when she saw two of me casually flirting with each other.

  “Hey there, Aisha,” I said with a grin. “Have I introduced you to this devastatingly handsome gentleman?”

  The clone bowed slightly, voice smooth as silk.

  “It is an honor, Madam. May I say, your radiance is only outshone by your proximity to me.”

  Aisha narrowed her eyes. “...Which one of you is the real Evan?”

  I raised my hand. “That would be me, yes.”

  “Alright then.”

  Without another word, she calmly walked up to other me and placed a hand on his chest.

  “Summon Cancel.”

  The clone blinked once—then vanished into a puff of magical sparkles.

  “EVAN, NOOOO!” I shouted, slamming my hands onto the table with a dramatic gasp.

  Tears welled in my eyes. “He… he was the most handsome man I ever knew…”

  Aisha stared at me, deadpan. “Oh, what a way to promote yourself, huh!?”

  I sniffled. “Well, I don’t appreciate your tone.”

  I immediately cast the spell again.

  In a blink, he returned—the chad, the legend, the one and only…

  Me.

  “Fear not,” he said, adjusting his collar with flair. “The amazing us shall still show you our unmatched hospitality.”

  She cancelled him again.

  Without hesitation.

  This continued for a while.

  And by “a while,” I mean we spent a solid hour goofing off—summoning, canceling, summoning again. Me and myself putting on monologues, hosting imaginary tea parties, and dramatically praising each other’s eyebrows.

  Eventually, the fun wound down.

  That’s when the notification popped up.

  And I saw a message from Walter.