Chapter 29: Difference

As school ended, Raven quietly waited in the classroom.

'Athena said she would only come at 6.00 P.M. to pick me up. What should I do until then?' At that moment, he thought of the Knight Technique, which Reid had distributed earlier.

'Zera, how am I going to create a mana circle with these? You said that I can't walk on the path of Knight, right?'

[You can't create a mana circle. Instead of wasting time on that useless book, you should focus more on studying Alchemy.]

'Ugh, but won't I lag in terms of physical strength and knight training?' Raven knew that even though the Apprentice Knights only had the strength of ordinary humans, they could do extraordinary things with skills alone.

If he didn't catch up with his classmates, he might fail at graduation!

[Raven, you don't need some Knight Technique and skills but a solid physical foundation right now. Even if you try creating a mana circle using this technique, you will only end up failing in it. These mana circles can only store raw Mana, not separate elemental energies.]

'What is the difference between mana and elemental energies?' Raven couldn't help but ask.

[Mana is a combined form of elemental energies. It has fire elemental energy, wind elemental energy, water elemental energy, light, darkness, etc. Whenever you use a particular Knight skill with this Knight Technique, it will only consume a small amount of Mana containing specific elemental energy and let the rest disperse into the air. On the other hand, the Elemental Circlet Technique allows you to extract only a single element from the environment. It will let you store it in your Inner World in large quantities. When you cast a spell using that stored elemental energy, the output power will become more refined and powerful. That's why there is a big difference in the strength between Walkers and Wizards. Of course, your sister's technique is more advanced and equal to the Wizard's technique.]

'The other Walkers' techniques are low quality, huh?' Raven asked.

[Yes. Although Walkers also start to store one particular element at a later stage, their control over the elements will always be far inferior. So, unlike the Knight Technique, you need the Elemental Circlet technique for the Warlock Pathway. But if I give that now, you will only stop growing physically. Focus on training your body for the next five years and increase your stats to 1.0.]

Raven quietly nodded and decided to do as Zera said.

While waiting, he recalled what the Teachers taught in today's class and started pondering.

'Then, I must focus on completely mastering the Spearmanship technique.' But it was easier said than done. As far as he knew, he had no affinity for spear.

Although he could memorize the 'Wintermoon Spear Dance' technique and imitate all its movements perfectly, he would still end up in last place because of not mastering the power of aura.

'As long as I train harder, I can manage to remain as an average student for the next two years.' But once his classmates started creating mana circles in their hearts, they would surpass him in terms of skills and physical abilities.

'And if my spear techniques remain crude, the academy might fail me.' A frown appeared on his forehead.

[You don't need to think about this Knight Training Academy scores, lad. I keep forgetting that you are still a small child who only thinks of getting better grades. But don't worry about it. Wait until you turn 15. That will be the starting point of your journey.] Zera's words didn't give him any happiness at all.

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"What you are saying is I'll keep facing hardships, am I right?"

He quietly looked up at the wall clock and soon realized it was already close to 6.00 P.M.

"It doesn't matter. As long as my sister and aunt are happy, I don't care about anything else."

While muttering, he picked up his school bag, walked out of the classroom, and soon entered the grand foyer. Although many students had left the school, some roamed here and there. Few seniors even attended combat classes and made noises on the upper floors.

'One day, I will also train harder and even duel with those top students.'

While dreaming about him beating the seniors, Raven left the building, walked through the large courtyard, and finally arrived at the compound gate.

As soon as he stepped outside the school, his attention was drawn to a black-colored hackney carriage pulled by two horses.

Athena sat in the driver's seat and looked at him warmly at that moment.

"How is it? Do you like this carriage?" She asked.

Meanwhile, Raven walked closer to the nearby horse and tried to touch it, but Athena stopped him.

"Don't try to get close to the horse. It will take a few days for it to get closer to us. Until then, you must never try to touch it."

"Will it kick me?" Raven backed away and moved towards the carriage door.

"So, how much did it cost, sister?" He asked while opening the door and walking in.

"23 Gold coins and fifty silvers. Although a bit expensive, we can manage with our current salary." Athena said as she pulled the horse reins and started driving the carriage.

Meanwhile, Raven checked the carriage interior carefully, slowly opened the black curtain, and spoke.

"I thought it would only cost around 5 gold coins. But I didn't expect it to be super expensive." Raven suddenly thought of something and asked further.

"So, if we want to buy the house which we are currently staying, how much will it cost, sister?" His question completely caught Athena off guard.

"Hmm, I never really thought of buying that house. But it should be very costly. Even this carriage cost more than 20 gold coins. I'm sure the cost of a single-story house should be no less than 500 gold coins. The price will also depend on the area. If the house you are going to buy is near the Industrial District or Nobles' Lane, the cost should be as high as 1000 gold coins. And you have to keep in mind that this rate is only in Darkcross Town. If you want to buy the same-sized house in cities, its cost should be much higher."

"I'm feeling dizzy just by hearing the amount." Raven couldn't help but mutter with a forced smile.

"Even living an ordinary life in this small town isn't an easy matter, Raven." Saying so, Athena whipped the horses and continued to drive the carriage towards Alm Street.

After more than 30 minutes of traveling, Athena parked the carriage in the yard and tied the houses under the shade of the nearby tree.

"We need to ask the House Owner to build a small ranch for the horses. Although that nagging woman will increase the rent, it can't be helped." Athena muttered as she walked towards the house entrance and opened the door with an iron key.

Raven also followed her inside and put the school bag on the couch. Then, he went to the bathroom, freshened up a bit, and told his sister what had happened in today's classroom.

"Oh? You got into an argument with a kid from the Miller family, huh? Haha, don't worry about it." Athena waved her hand.

Raven talked with his sister for a while and went to his bedroom to do homework.

On the other hand, Athena went to the kitchen and started preparing for dinner.

At the same time, she took out a bunch of decorating items like balloons and party streamers and started decorating the room.

Around 8.30 P.M., Shirley also returned from her mission and brought a large cake and a bag filled with dresses in her hand.

"What is he doing?" As soon as she entered the house, she looked around cautiously and asked.

"He is staying in the bedroom, Aunt." Athena carefully took the cake from her hand and moved to the dining hall.

"That's good then." Shirley also followed her and started helping Athena to decorate the room.

"Is everything okay at work, Aunt Shirley?" Athena asked softly, trying not to disturb the peaceful ambiance they were trying to create.

Shirley sighed, a weary smile touching her lips. "Oh, it's nothing, dear. Just a long day at work, that's all."

Athena nodded understandingly, deciding not to press further. She knew that Shirley often took on extra missions to support her all the time and felt gratitude.

For her, she was more like a mother than an Aunt.

As they finished decorating the room, Raven emerged from his bedroom, his eyes widening in surprise at the transformation. The once plain and mundane space was now filled with colorful balloons and streamers, a large cake sitting proudly in the center of the table.

"Wow, this looks amazing!" Raven exclaimed, a wide grin spreading across his face.

Athena beamed with pride at his reaction. "Happy birthday, little brother!"

Raven's smile widened even further, his eyes sparkling with excitement. "Thank you, sis! This is the best surprise ever!"

Shirley stepped forward, ruffling Raven's hair affectionately. "You deserve it, dear. Now, why don't you go ahead and change into one of those new outfits I brought for you? We'll have dinner and then we can cut the cake."