Maximillian and Marlow froze.
Especially the former. He had been trying to break through the bottleneck for several years now, but no matter how hard he tried, he always felt like something was missing.
He never expected anyone from the Sovereign Union to help him. Although Amberfall held a valuable place in the Union, due to internal politics, some parties had prevented Maximillian from advancing to the Mana Core Rank.
After all, it was in their interests to have a weaker Magus sitting on the throne of Ignisra, resulting in them getting far more benefits than they would have received if the King was a Mana Core Magus.
Furthermore, the elusive Mana Core Rank held profound arcane secrets. Such occult knowledge was tightly guarded by the many smaller factions within the Union. They would only allow those tied to them — or under their control — to access such insights and form a mana core.
