The skill’s description matched what I had felt during the fight, lining up almost too perfectly with the way my abilities had started responding on their own, as if something deeper had taken over where conscious activation used to sit.

What I understood now was simple, but the implications weren’t.

Even with class skills, I wasn’t completely bound by the system’s structure. If I pushed, experimented, and forced my abilities into situations they weren’t meant for, I could trigger something new—something that didn’t come from leveling or rewards, but from adaptation itself.

That opened a different path to power.

One that didn’t rely on waiting.

Still, as impressive as [Sovereign Flow] was, it wasn’t the most valuable thing I had walked away with from that fight.

It was the garnets.

That had been the objective from the beginning, and I had achieved it cleanly—no casualties, no complications, no losses on my side. For something this important, that alone made it a major win, not just for me, but for the entire clan.

Now I needed to see exactly what I had secured.

I reached into my storage and pulled them out, letting the weight of three of them settle into my hands.

They were smaller than I expected.

Each one was a perfect cube, its surface smooth and almost glass-like, catching the light in a way that made it look delicate at first glance. But the moment I held them, that impression disappeared. There was a density to them, a quiet resistance that made it clear they weren’t something that could be crushed or damaged easily, no matter how fragile they appeared.

Fine geometric patterns were etched across their surfaces, subtle but precise, forming interconnected lines that seemed almost too deliberate to be decorative. And inside—

There was movement.

Faint, ember-like particles drifted within the cube, suspended as if trapped in a slow current, glowing softly as they shifted and pulsed with a quiet, steady rhythm. It wasn’t chaotic or unstable; it felt contained, controlled, like power held under strict order rather than barely restrained.

I turned one slightly between my fingers, watching the light shift with it.

Mesmerizing.

But these weren’t just for display.

I focused and pulled up the description, my gaze sharpening as I prepared to see what they were actually capable of.

[Item: Manacore Garnet]Type: Energy Conduit CoreBinding: Territory-Linked

Description:A refined garnet infused with condensed mana circuits, engineered to act as the central power node for large-scale defensive structures. When embedded into a linked wall network, the Manacore Garnet channels and distributes mana across all connected surfaces, generating a unified barrier field that expands upward and outward, forming a seamless dome over the designated area. The barrier actively stabilizes itself against external pressure, dispersing impact force across its entire surface rather than a single point.

Ordinary physical and magical attacks are rendered ineffective upon contact, their force diffused and nullified before penetration can occur. Sustained or high-tier assaults may strain the barrier, but without overwhelming output or specialized counter-properties, breach is impossible. The integrity of the dome scales with the quality of the walls, the number of linked segments, and the mana capacity supplied to the core.

A critical asset in high-stakes territorial conflicts, Manacore Garnets are considered indispensable during the King’s Games, where survival often hinges on defensive superiority and control over fortified zones.

Activation Condition:• Must be socketed into a Core Anchor Point within a fully enclosed wall structure• Walls must be mana-conductive or reinforced with linked nodes• User must channel mana directly into the garnet to activate it.

Activation Process:Upon activation, the Manacore Garnet emits a low, resonant hum as internal mana circuits ignite. Veins of glowing energy rapidly spread from the core into the surrounding walls, tracing through every connected segment like a living network. Once the circuit completes, the energy surges upward, projecting a dome-shaped barrier that locks into place over the territory.

Although the protection wasn’t absolute, breaking through it would take a serious amount of effort, the kind that couldn’t be achieved with random attacks or brute force alone. It wasn’t something that would just crack under pressure—you’d have to commit to it, sustain it, and even then, there were no guarantees.

And not many creatures in this world should have that kind of raw power.

Right?...

I mean, I had that kind of raw power, but I wasn’t exactly what anyone would consider normal.

An SSS rank innate skill wasn’t considered common, evidenced by Caius’ reaction, meaning the number of creatures with the power to rip through the barrier wasn’t plentiful.

But I had to keep thinking otherwise.

Because the moment I convinced myself I was sitting at the top without question, that was when I’d slip, and in a place like this, slipping even once could cost everything. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

There might be uncertainty about whether goblins or other creatures exist with ranks higher than mine, but I had no doubt about one thing—someone like that would show up in the King’s Games. There was no way a stage built like that wouldn’t draw monsters in human...goblin form.

Caius alone proved that much.

My innate skill was clearly superior to his, yet even with that advantage, he still pushed me further than I expected, forced me to adapt, and forced me to burn through nearly everything just to secure the win.

That wasn’t something I could ignore.

I couldn’t afford to get complacent.

But... I could be excited.

Because the thought of facing someone even stronger—someone who could push me further than that—wasn’t something that bothered me.

If anything, it pulled at something deeper.

Back to the garnets.

Their activation process was straightforward enough. All I needed to do was link them to the walls surrounding our territory, and once that connection was established, the entire structure would act as a network, just like Caius’ base had. A barrier would form, covering everything within, turning our territory into something far harder to breach.

As for the conditions...

I glanced at the memory of our walls, the way they had been shaped and reinforced.

They weren’t stone or brick like Caius’, but they weren’t ordinary vines either.

They had grown, strengthened, layered, and reinforced with intent.

And from what I understood, they...