Supreme Warlock System : From Zero to Ultimate With My Wives-Chapter 178: Old Habits Die Hard

Warlock Ch 178. Old Habits Die Hard

"Guess old habits die hard," Damian said, stepping toward one of the shattered columns. He knelt, placing a hand against the cold, jagged stone. He could feel the damage beneath his fingers, as if the structure itself was lamenting its state.

He concentrated, letting his mana flow through him, focusing on the idea of restoration. His breathing slowed, the room growing quiet as the world around him blurred. Then, a notification blinked into view.

[New Skills Unlocked!]

[Fix Lv. 1]: Restores damaged objects to their original state. Requires appropriate materials and consumes mana proportional to the complexity and size of the repair. Cooldown: None.

[Upgrade Lv. 1]: Enhances the durability, efficiency, or functionality of an object. Requires materials and consumes additional mana based on the level of enhancement. Cooldown: None.

Damian blinked at the notifications, a grin slowly spreading across his face. "Fix and Upgrade, huh? Now we're talking."

He activated [Fix], feeling the skill pulse through him as his hand glowed faintly. A secondary notification popped up.

[Materials Required: Stone (30%), Mana-Infused Shard (10%)]

He raised an eyebrow, glancing around at the debris scattered across the room. "Good thing I didn't toss all of this out."

With a flick of his wrist, he used [Telekinesis] to summon chunks of stone and mana-infused debris. The materials floated to him, glowing faintly as they gathered around the broken column. Once enough pieces hovered in place, Damian concentrated again.

The glow around his hand intensified, and the stones began to meld seamlessly into the shattered column. The jagged edges smoothed out, cracks fading as if they had never been there. Within moments, the column stood whole once more, its surface gleaming faintly with mana.

Damian stepped back, admiring his work. "Not bad," he said, his voice tinged with satisfaction. "Looks even better than before."

Encouraged, he moved to the next damaged area—a section of the floor that had been obliterated during one of Cassius' earlier attacks. He repeated the process, gathering materials with Telekinesis, then channeling [Fix]. The floor repaired itself with a satisfying hum, the stone settling perfectly into place.

"Guess I still got it," Damian muttered, his grin widening.

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The process became almost meditative as he worked his way through the training hall. The walls were the trickiest, requiring precise alignment of materials, but Damian's mana control had only improved since his rebirth. What once might have taken him hours now took minutes.

He was halfway through restoring a particularly large scorch mark on the floor when he heard the telltale creak of the doors opening. Damian didn't bother looking up, already guessing who it was.

"Couldn't resist coming back to check on me, huh, Cas?" he called over his shoulder, his tone dripping with mock arrogance.

Cassius' voice was dry as ever. "I'm more surprised you're still working, but not at all surprised you're taking another shortcut."

Damian turned to face him, gesturing dramatically to the nearly restored hall. "What can I say? I'm a genius."

Cassius' sharp gaze swept over the room, pausing on the freshly repaired structures. He raised an eyebrow. "You did this?"

"Of course," Damian said, brushing imaginary dust from his cloak. "Well, me and my new skill."

Cassius tilted his head, intrigued. "Another one? Let me guess—restoration?"

"Fix," Damian confirmed, his grin widening. "And Upgrade, but I haven't tested that one yet. Thought I'd start with the basics before getting fancy."

Cassius hummed thoughtfully, stepping closer to inspect one of the repaired walls. "You've learned to restore and enhance? Impressive. Seems the demon king's power really is pushing you to new heights."

Damian rolled his eyes. "Let's not give the demon king all the credit, yeah? Some of this is just good old-fashioned talent."

Cassius smirked faintly. "Fair enough. But don't get too cocky."

"Noted," Damian said, turning back to his work. He reached for a pile of rubble, his focus already shifting to the next task. "But honestly, this is nothing compared to the training earlier. After that, fixing a few walls feels like a vacation."

Cassius chuckled softly, his amusement clear. "If you think this is a vacation, then I must be doing something right."

Damian snorted, shaking his head. "Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up."

Cassius watched Damian work, a rare flicker of pride crossed his face. Despite his usual detached demeanor, he couldn't deny that Damian was proving himself in ways that even he hadn't expected.

"You've come a long way," Cassius said quietly, more to himself than to Damian.

Damian didn't hear him, too focused on the task at hand. But the faint glow of satisfaction in Cassius' eyes lingered as he watched his apprentice—no, not his apprentice anymore—turn the chaos of the training hall into something whole once more.

No, Damian wasn't just an apprentice. Officially, perhaps, but Cassius knew better. This wasn't just a warlock in training standing before him. This was Kaelan, back in a different form, but still the same stubborn, brilliant, chaotic force he had always been. A faint smile tugged at Cassius' lips as he crossed his arms, leaning casually against the now-restored wall.

"Want to eat before you go home?" Cassius asked, his tone as nonchalant as ever.

Damian froze mid-motion, his hand hovering over a stack of rubble he'd been about to gather with Telekinesis. "Wait, you're offering food?" he quipped, throwing a mock incredulous glance over his shoulder.

"Yeah," Cassius smirked. "Victoria sent a messenger. She's visiting us shortly, and she's expecting an answer."

Damian's teasing demeanor evaporated instantly. His expression grew serious, his brow furrowing as he turned fully toward Cassius. "And?" he asked, his voice lower, more cautious. "What are you going to tell her?"

Cassius shrugged, the gesture deceptively casual. "That depends on your answer."

Damian's lips pressed into a thin line, his thoughts swirling. He ran a hand through his hair. Accepting Victoria's mission meant diving headfirst into the tangled web of his past—Kaelan's past—and whatever truths it held about her, her late husband, and the part he had played in it all.