The cloud-covered sky faintly revealed the setting sun as the land began to darken.

Once Zayzal, Sera, and Anders made it back to the compound, they received some weird looks. Some people stared at them with gratitude, others were wary, while a few were surprised to see them come back with multiple injuries and secretly decided that they wouldn’t leave.

‘If even they got injured out there, what would happen to me?’ That was the question that surfaced in their minds.

Zayzal felt a bit uncomfortable under the complex gazes of others, not used to the feeling of people treating him like a zoo animal. However, Sera and Anders weren’t bothered. The former didn’t care, while the latter was used to it.

“I’m going to go to bed. See you guys tomorrow.” Anders said after they entered.

“Alright.”

“Me too.”

The three waved at each other before Anders ran off, his feet becoming more and more sluggish the further he went.

Sera and Zayzal soon reached their tent, but they didn’t feel comfortable going to sleep caked in troll blood, so they decided to go look for a shower.

Luckily, the place did have some makeshift showers. Although there was some running water, they had a stock tank full of it.

Around half an hour later, they wandered back over to their tent.

“I’m going to rest as well,” Sera said while curling up in a blanket.

“Mmhm. I’ll do the same in a few minutes.” Zayzal replied, his gaze a little lost. Sera didn’t bother with him and shut her eyes, falling asleep almost immediately.

Meanwhile, Zayzal stayed up to ponder.

‘How can I make myself stronger? No, first, how are other people growing stronger?’ He thought, reviewing all the times he used his [Pathfinder] talent.

Everyone was slightly different, but the process was relatively the same. Find your talent, use that as a conduit to channel mana through, and fill the illusory pathways within your body with mana.

That’s easy enough to understand, but Zayzal didn’t quite understand how that made them stronger.

‘It seems like every talent color is a bit different. To use Sera as an example, from what I can tell, she first had to sense the mana within her body, then create a network of pathways with it to channel mana through and into her bones. That’s stage one. The second stage, her current one, looks to be more focused on fortifying her bones and pathways, making them stronger.’ He concluded.

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However, this process differed depending on one’s talent. For example, Ingrid’s talent was more focused on the mind, so her strength was less physical and more mental. Anders came from repeated training and understanding. Sera’s golden talent looked more about accumulation than anything.

‘So, how can this make me stronger?’ Zayzal questioned before closing his eyes.

Instead of trying to ‘look’ for the pathways he saw in others, he decided to try and sense the mana already present in his body first.

As Zayzal shut his eyes, he cleared his mind, attempting to isolate the sensation of mana within his body. It was a subtle, elusive feeling akin to a whispering wind brushing gently against his consciousness.

He focused intently, trying to distinguish it from the other myriad sensations humming both inside and outside of him.

Quiet moments passed, each second a step into the unexplored territories of his inner self.

Slowly, faintly, Zayzal began to sense a distinct energy. It was not a loud presence, not a roaring flame or surging river. Rather, it was a soft, gentle glow, warm and pulsating rhythmically. However, it moved almost chaotically, as if it was bouncing off the walls of his internals.

He realized that the energy he sensed was not uniform; it differed subtly in its texture and intensity, swirling and converging at specific points within him before moving on to a different location.

With each breath, Zayzal felt more attuned to this inner energy.

Although he could use it without much trouble before, that was mostly due to his [Adaptability] talent casually integrating this energy with his mind and body, like a muscle. For him, it was similar to walking or raising his arms.

One doesn’t need to think about how they do that, they just do.

But, now that he could feel it, he began to develop a deeper understanding of it.

The energy within him was intrinsically tied to his talents, his abilities, his very essence. It was not just a passive reservoir of power; it was an active, dynamic force, responding and adapting to his thoughts and desires.

As he delved deeper into this realization, Zayzal started to perceive what seemed like pathways but was more akin to an instinctive understanding. He couldn’t ‘see’ these pathways with his eyes or mind, but he could sense them as if they were some kind of muscle or vein twitching.

They were not the rigid, defined lines he saw in others but rather fluid, constantly shifting streams, adapting and reconfiguring based on his needs and situations. This fluidity mirrored his [Adaptability] talent, reflecting his inherent ability to adjust and evolve in the face of challenges.

Understanding dawned on him. To strengthen himself, Zayzal needed to properly understand this power and its nature. However, that was just one aspect.

He had two talents that seemed to have two different progressions, and he wasn’t sure how to match them.

‘I’ll put that aside for now. Just learning more about mana, other people’s talents, and how it all works should help show me the way forward.’

With renewed determination, Zayzal began experimenting with this newfound understanding.

He attempted to direct the energy toward his limbs, feeling them lighten and strengthen. Then, he focused on his senses, feeling the world around him sharpen and clarify.

This was all temporary, but it would help him immensely in the future. He didn’t want to make any permanent changes until he was confident that he’d achieve perfection.

Hours passed in what seemed like minutes as Zayzal immersed himself in this exploration. When he finally opened his eyes, the first light of dawn was creeping into the tent, casting a gentle glow on the still-sleeping form of Sera.

Zayzal rose silently, feeling invigorated despite the lack of sleep. There was a sparkle in his eyes, a subtle confidence in his stance. He had not only discovered a path to strength, but also unlocked a deeper understanding of himself.