Cedric was riding his broom through the sky, still thinking about taking everything for himself, when a familiar voice suddenly pulled him back to reality.
Asta waved excitedly from below and shouted, "Big Brother Cedric has returned!" just as he and the others finished their mission and arrived back at the base.
Cedric landed and asked, "How did the mission go? Did anything unexpected happen?"
Asta excitedly explained, "We encountered a very powerful enemy who could create massive ice spikes with just a snap of his fingers!"
When the group entered the base, they were greeted by a strange scene filled with what looked like corpses.
Charmy Pappitson lay on the floor, her belly swollen from overeating.
Vanessa Enoteca sprawled across the sofa, with a mysterious red liquid at the corner of her mouth.
And Gauche Adlai lay face down on the ground, with a large pool of blood beneath him.
Noelle immediately assumed the worst and nervously hid behind Cedric.
Suddenly, Charmy jumped up from the floor and shouted, "It's mealtime!"
While opening her grimoire and casting Cotton Creation Magic: Sheep Cook, causing three sheep dolls to appear and begin preparing dishes out of thin air.
Vanessa continued muttering in her sleep, clutching her wine bottle and mumbling, "More wine… I need more…"
As for Gauche, he appeared to have suffered another nosebleed from thinking about his sister.
The chaotic scene soon returned to normal.
During the following days, Cedric spent most of his time practicing magic while also strengthening his physical abilities.
Tree Magic had powerful versatility, but it lacked speed.
If he encountered someone like Licht right now, that terrifying Light Magic would probably turn him into a sieve before he could even react.
Because of that, Cedric decided to pursue the path of a Magic Swordsman, and fortunately, the Black Bulls had the perfect teacher for such training.
That teacher was Captain Yami Sukehiro.
A Magic Swordsman condensed magic into their blade to release powerful slashes and techniques, increasing the speed of attacks and allowing near-instant spell release.
Cedric approached Yami and asked, "Captain, do you have a moment?"
Yami immediately replied, "I'm not free. I'm heading to my place of rebirth. Talk later unless you want to be cut down."
Cedric tried to explain, "I just wanted to ask—" but Yami impatiently grabbed his head and threw him aside.
Later, Cedric finally managed to catch Yami during a rare quiet moment.
Yami asked, "What do you want?"
Cedric answered, "I want to learn how to train Ki."
Yami burst into laughter and said, "How do you even know about Ki?" before adding, "Did Magna tell you?"
After taking a puff from his cigarette, Yami explained, "Ki is the ability to sense the spirit, perceive danger around you, and predict your opponent's actions. It's not magic."
He added, "For most people, focusing on magic power is more suitable."
Cedric then asked, "So what should I do to train it?"
Yami casually waved his hand and said, "There's only one method."
"Surpass your limits."
After saying that, Yami walked away.
Cedric quietly repeated, "Surpass your limits…" thinking that Ki was not magic but more like spiritual perception, something closer to chakra than mana.
Since he still could not fully understand it, Cedric decided to focus on improving his physical abilities for now.
Later that day, Yami tossed several small pouches of coins to the squad members and announced, "This is your salary. Tomorrow is a day off."
Everyone reacted immediately.
Finral excitedly declared, "I can finally invite a girl to a high-end restaurant!"
Vanessa happily said, "Now, how much wine can I buy…"
Asta stared at the money with sparkling eyes and shouted, "I have no idea how to spend so much money!"
Noelle looked at the coins with a hint of disdain and muttered, "This isn't even enough to buy a proper piece of clothing…"
Cedric weighed the pouch and thought about what to do with it.
Sending it home seemed unnecessary, since the village chief back in Hage was not short on such a small amount.
Since it was a holiday, visiting Rebecca sounded like a better idea.
After all, salary should be handed over to one's girlfriend.
At that moment, Vanessa suddenly wrapped an arm around Cedric's shoulder and said, "Come with me to the black market. I want to buy some magical items."
A system notification suddenly appeared.
[Ding! Mission issued: Assist the Wizard King Julius during his visit to the black market.]
[Reward: Divine Technique — Flying Thunder God.]
Cedric immediately said, "Alright."
Noelle quickly stepped forward and grabbed Cedric's arm. "I'm going too."
Asta nervously asked, "Should I send my money back to the church?"
Cedric smiled and said, "Good kid. I'll bring you grilled snake skewers."
Asta immediately rushed back to his room. "I'll write a letter!"
Vanessa glanced at Noelle and complained, "You can already control your magic. Why are you still riding with him?"
Noelle stuck out her tongue and replied, "Because Cedric is willing to take me."
Vanessa thought, I'll make this brat drink several bottles of Cherry Bomb tonight.
She then leaned against Cedric and said, "Carry me too. I'm still drunk."
Cedric sighed as his grimoire opened.
"Tree Magic: Wood Dragon."
The massive wooden dragon appeared.
Vanessa sat in front, Cedric in the middle, and Noelle behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist.
Cedric said, "Let's go."
The Wood Dragon soared into the sky.
Behind him, Noelle tightened her arms, making Cedric feel a soft pressure against his back.
After some time, they arrived at their destination.
"The castle town of Kikka."
Several people whispered nervously.
"The Black Bulls…"
"Stay away from that drunk witch…"
Noelle asked, "Why is everyone staring at us?"
Cedric smiled and said, "Because our little princess is too cute."
When he turned, Vanessa was staring at him with murderous intent.
Cedric quickly added, "You're beautiful too, Vanessa."
Vanessa scoffed, "Hmph," but secretly felt pleased.
She then warned, "Stay close. Many shops sell fake goods."
They entered a narrow alley.
"There's no exit," Noelle pointed out.
Vanessa walked forward. "Watch carefully."
She passed through the wall.
Cedric took Noelle's hand. "Come on."
They followed.
When they opened their eyes, they were in a completely different world.
The underground black market was filled with magical items, gambling dens, and suspicious establishments.
Vanessa said, "Stay close."
A plump shopkeeper greeted her. "Vanessa! Want the new herbs?"
Vanessa replied, "Only high-quality goods. Don't bring me trash."
The shopkeeper laughed. "I'd never cheat you. I still need you to refine my potions."
...
📢 Author's Note
The full completed version of Black Clover: I Awakened the Naruto System is now available on Patreon!
✅ Complete — 149 Chapters
Join the journey of a boy from Hage Village who gains the mysterious Naruto System and rises beyond the limits of magic, changing the future of the Clover Kingdom.
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— Shadow_Demon_007