Chapter 1638: The Self-Cultivation of a Cheat

In a haze of consciousness, Rin Tohsaka felt a slight chill coming from behind. It wasn’t painful, just a bit itchy.

“Hmm~”

Half-awake, Rin Tohsaka sat up, the silky blanket sliding off her. She looked out the window, hearing the chirping of birds.

“Is it already noon?”

Scratching her messy hair, Rin Tohsaka wrapped herself in the blanket and sat up. Immediately, she felt something different in her body: the magic power within her had completely disappeared, leaving her magic circuits empty.

This astounding change left Rin Tohsaka momentarily dazed. All her previous efforts had gone up in flames, and the sense of loss sank her heart. But in the next moment, she felt something unusual on her back. Quickly, she discovered that all her magic power was actually gathered at her back or perhaps converging in some unknown place.

Barefoot, Rin Tohsaka ran thud-thud-thud to the mirror, pulling down the blanket on her back. She saw an alchemy array diagram on her spine, the whole formation circular, with a crimson pattern covering almost her entire back.

As Rin Tohsaka tried to activate Gem Magecraft, a faint red glow circulated through the Third Starlight Alchemy Array diagram, making the entire diagram seem alive, resplendent and magnificent.

If Rin Tohsaka’s original magic power’s maximum storage was 20, it was now at least 600 or more. Of course, this didn’t mean her strength had increased thirtyfold. The power of Gem Magecraft didn’t change; it still depended on her magic circuits. However, the number of times she could use Gem Magecraft increased dramatically. In a way, the Third Starlight Alchemy Array replaced most of her magic circuits.

“Is it somewhat like a storage device? Or a converter? Truly amazing technology.”

Rin Tohsaka was quite satisfied. Even aside from her increased magic storage capacity, she found it aesthetically pleasing and did not reject it.

“An unexpected gain.”

Rin Tohsaka smiled happily, but the next moment, Su Xiao’s words poured over her like a bucket of cold water.

“Don’t rejoice too soon. The performance of the Third Starlight Array is indeed excellent, but with your constitution, this thing can only be painted, not imprinted. If the Third Starlight Alchemy Array were imprinted on your back, you’d be lucky to even crawl by now. You can’t bear that thing.”

“Painted? Imprinted? What’s the difference?”

Rin Tohsaka pulled up her blanket. Though she had already been seen entirely the night before, as a woman, she still had her pride and a significant amount of it.

“As the words suggest, painted is to draw it on, a consumable; imprinted is to penetrate into your flesh and blood, a permanent gain.”

“Can I choose to have it imprinted then?”

Feeling the surging magic power within her, Rin Tohsaka’s tone was determined. Mages have a pursuit of magic that ordinary people cannot comprehend.

“Are you sure?”

Su Xiao took a sip of seafood soup, the smile on his face growing more gentle.

“Kinda… not so sure now.”

“That kind of power is not something you can bear. Because the material is excellent, the diagram on your back can exist for 3-5 months. If used frequently, it can last about 15 days to a month. After the diagram shatters, you will be weak for several weeks. Also, during the diagram’s existence, don’t attempt to fill it with magic power, or you will regret it. If you want to turn into starlight, you can try that.”

“Starlight?”

Rin Tohsaka had no understanding of alchemy, so she didn’t know what starlight was.

“A rare biological material possessing an energy conduction rating above E12, mostly transformed from intelligent creatures. When the Starlight Alchemy Array was completed in its early stages, it was used as a power quick-gain bait, contributing unknown amounts of starlight dust to alchemists, also trapping countless power-seekers. After dozens of improvements, the ‘Third Starlight Alchemy Array’ as it is now was achieved.”

“I don’t want to turn into starlight dust at all. What’s the safe limit?”

“About 95%. Beyond this energy storage limit, you will… boom.”

Su Xiao made an explosive gesture, making Rin Tohsaka’s mouth twitch. Indeed, there’s no free lunch in the world; gaining power also means taking on some risks.

“Can we now go find other Masters? I feel really strong now.”

“Of course… not.”

Su Xiao explained so much to Rin Tohsaka because he was in a good mood. Through Bubu Wang’s surveillance and his own summary of Blood Gate Adventure Group’s movements, he had basically guessed Blood Gate’s main team task.

The Holy Grail World had just started when Blood Gate people began cleaning up the Contractors within this world. They initially placed the Artificial Holy Grail plan as a priority, but after Su Xiao appeared, Stan decisively abandoned the plan. This wasn’t because Stan was cowardly; instead, he prioritized the main team task.

After Blood Gate’s first encounter, they immediately attacked Kotomine Church and blocked the Central District. It seemed like they were luring Su Xiao to show up, but Blood Gate’s target wasn’t Su Xiao. They were going to Kotomine Church, and blocking the Central District was to prevent Su Xiao from intervening.

The Blood Gate Adventure Group nearly leveled Kotomine Church. At that time, no one was there, indicating that they were searching for something or someone. After failing to find their target, they blew up Kotomine Church as a smoke bomb, making Su Xiao think it was a trap for him.

Initially, Su Xiao didn’t think of this point, as the battle with Blood Gate was too intense. But shortly after, during his encounter with the golden flash, Stan’s trio arrived with unbelievable speed, and he sensed something was off.

Stan’s trio arrived way too quickly; from leaving the barrier on the outskirts to approaching the battleground between Su Xiao and the golden flash, the whole process took just a few hours. Pinpointing to such an exact level can only mean one thing: Stan is looking for Kirei Kotomine.

Su Xiao and Stan have been at a life-and-death stage, yet at this point, the other party still had the leisure to find Kirei Kotomine? The situation was already very clear: Blood Gate’s target was Kirei Kotomine, or rather, Kirei Kotomine was closely related to Blood Gate’s main team task.

“You reap what you sow.”

Su Xiao couldn’t help but laugh because the current situation was very interesting. Stan probably dug a pit during the Fourth Holy Grail War, and now he’s being pushed into it by the main team task.

Hearing Su Xiao’s laughter, Rin Tohsaka shivered while admiring the Starlight Array Diagram in the mirror, feeling conflicted. She didn’t know whether having such a Heroic Spirit was good or bad.

Reaching some kind of understanding, Su Xiao felt even better. If all went well, this Holy Grail War would soon end. Once the Blood Gate Adventure Group was dealt with, he would be able to advance smoothly.

“Rin, try to contact the Magician Association. It’s best to contact the Clock Tower directly and tell them that Kirei Kotomine is betraying them.”

“Well…”

Rin Tohsaka was a bit confused. Kirei Kotomine belonged to the Holy Church, so if she were to report, it should obviously be reported to the Holy Church. Moreover, she herself had ‘cheats’ tendencies, with three Heroic Spirits assisting. Reporting Kirei Kotomine at this time made her feel a guilty sense of using loopholes.

“Just report it. Don’t worry. The Magician Association will be more enthusiastic than you think on this matter.”

Su Xiao’s purpose was simple: to find Kirei Kotomine before Stan. Whatever the other party wanted, it was safe to capture Kirei Kotomine first. As for reporting to the Magician Association, it was to utilize local powers to find Kirei Kotomine.