“Knowledge of the hidden world, Status.”
Name: Nox
Lvl: 8
Strength: F (73/100) ⬆
Constitution: F (72/100) ⬆
Agility: F (52/100)
Reflex: F- (40/100)
Mana: F (60/100) ⬆
Insight: F- (5/10) ⬆
Affinity:
Fire 90%
Physique:
Solar Physique lvl 1
Cycle Technique:
Solar Rotation lvl 1
Golden Cycle lvl 1
Magic:
Status lvl 1
The numbers increased and he had two new skills, but he didn’t feel any stronger. Instead, his body felt cold and weak. The piercing pain had become a dull numbing ache.
Quest: Rebirth
The Seeds of the Sun have been used for rebirths in the eras that have now been forgotten. Your body is in the process of reconstructing its bones, strengthening its muscles, rejuvenating its skin and forming new Mana pathways. You know that Mana pathways solidify during the age of 1-14. The older you get, the harder it would be to alter or increase the number of Mana paths. This is your chance to rewrite your destiny. Surpass all the geniuses. Use the Path Expanding Vials to form the elusive Transcendent Constellation.
Task: Form 216 Mana Paths
Reward: Soul Dew x1
“So that is what the vials are used for.” Nox held them up. They were the size of a thumb and there was thick green liquid in each of them. He had heard mentions of these vials in the past and they were worth quite a fortune. Only wealthy families could afford them. Now he knew why.
Nox wrapped the vials up with his outer garment. The line of gold extended from his shadow and led to where he guessed would lead him back.
He felt dizzy and tired. He wasn’t sure how much longer he could stand. It was good to make haste and get back as soon as possible.
To his surprise, it didn’t take long for him to spot a fellow recruit. But he quickly realized it was probably the worst person that he could see.
Her red hair danced in the wind. Feeling Nox’s gaze, Camila turned, returning a piercing glare before turning her attention to the shirt bag in Nox’s hands.
Nox’s body tightened up. He instinctively held the bag tighter, but quickly calmed himself. He gave her a slight nod of acknowledgment and walked leisurely past.
In his head, he prayed she would ignore him and let him continue ahead.
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But, she didn’t.
“Looks precious.”
Nox froze. Letting out a deep breath, he turned and smiled.
“This old thing? Just a dirty, sweaty outer garment that you can find in any regular clothing shop.”
Their gazes connected. Her green eyes seemed to bore into his soul and the intensity was overwhelming. His body tightened, ready for combat. But Camila turned away, her gaze on something far off.
Seeing that Camila wasn’t saying anything, Nox pulled his gaze away and began walking again. He was only able to take a good two steps when Camila spoke again.
“It would be a shame if someone was to take it.”
Tired of this tension. Nox turned.
“What do you want?”
“Is there something I want?”
Nox didn’t know what game Camila was playing and his head was beginning to throb in pain again. Every kind of bullshit seemed to happen today.
“If there is not then can I leave?”
Her face contorted, making Nox shiver. He had never seen such an ugly expression coming from such a beautiful face.
“Why would you need to ask me?”
“Then I’m leaving.”
“Are you sure you want to leave?”
Nox felt like a mouse, trapped and cornered while being toyed with. Her expression had been the same since he first saw her. The same emotionless expression and same cold eyes that didn’t seem to think much of anyone as if everyone was beneath her.
“Look, this is all I have,” Nox put the shirt bag down. “I don’t have anything else.” It didn’t look like he was going to be able to depart without leaving these vials. It was better to offer it up rather than had her force it from him. No point in risking his life.
Camila looked from the bag to Nox and back to the bag before looking at Nox again.
“What makes you think I want that?”
Nox couldn’t understand her.
“You obviously have bad intentions. Your face is saying it.”
Camila was deep in thought. A long second passed. “My sister did say I have a resting bitch face.”
“Huh?” Nox stared at her. Not sure what to make of her response.
“Is this better?” She pinched the two sides of her mouth into a smile. “I don’t want it.”
“Huh?” Was he dealing with a lunatic?
“If you don’t want these then I’ll be going ahead.”
“Wait.”
“What is it now?!”
A small black cube came flying at him.
Catching it, Nox stared at the small cube in his hands. There was no weight to it.
“Channel a bit of your Mana into it.”
Confused, but Nox did as she said.
The black box bounced from his hands and expanded into a small black box.
“It’s an item box. You can store your items there. Then, channel your Mana onto the lid.”
“Okay?” Nox put his items into the box and channeled his Mana again. The box stretched out before retracting and becoming smaller again.
“Wow, that is convenient. Are you letting me have this?
“No. Give it back once you store your items in a safe place.”
Yeah. Something like this would be expensive. Of course, it couldn’t be given freely. Still, he couldn’t believe she was willing to lend this to him. With so many eyes, it would be suspicious of him to carry the vials in his shirt bag. This would help a lot.
As if she decided their talk was done, she turned her gaze to something far off.
Nox held the cube in his hand, feeling a bit strange. Putting it in his pocket, he gazed at the girl with hair that was red as blood.
“Whenever I try to put on a convincing smile, I always make sure I squint my eyes or else it would look strange.”
Camila turned to him. Her deep green eyes bored into him.
Her hair flowed in the wind as the sun shone brightly in the sky.
Yet, her face seemed to shine much brighter.
Seeing that Nox was stunned, she retracted her smile and looked off in the distance.
“That’s okay. I don’t need to smile to wield a sword.”
.
.
.
Nox was able to excuse himself from the rest of the training and managed to get back to his room when his condition had flared up again. His entire body was burning hot and he felt faint. Suddenly, the scorching pain went away, leaving him icy cold. Then, the scorching pain came back again more intense.
He twisted and turned on his bed, trying to wrestle away the pain. The Mana in him raced around the pathways, expanding and destroying them. The Seed of the Sun burst open and orange liquid spread and covered every inch of his body. He felt his skin tearing. His bone breaking. The pain was too much for him to handle as it ripped away his consciousness.
He woke up a few minutes later screaming and yelling in pain. This repeated itself as he would find himself fainting because of the pain and then waking because of the pain.
He had to do something, anything to lessen the agony. The violent Mana was uncontrollable as it ran a rampage inside his body. The Instructor had taught them a Mana cycling technique called the Golden Cycle. It was basic, but it taught him how to cycle his Mana through the pathways. He tried it but the Mana refused to be dominated. With no choice, he tried the Solar Rotation, the technique had been embedded in his mind. He knew it well enough to recite the entire method, step by step. However, he had learned that it was dangerous to practice any Mana cycling technique without fully understanding it and without having a teacher to guide you. It could mess up his internal organs and leave him disabled if lucky or dead if he was not.
It was not like he had a choice. Again, he felt the Mana resisting his control. But slowly as he drove the Mana around and around. It became a bit easier. He felt the pain lessening a bit. So, he continued to cycle the Mana according to the Solar Rotation technique, guiding it along where the Mana path was.
A Mana Path has been rebuilt.
A Mana Path has been rebuilt.
A Mana Path has been rebuilt.
A Mana Path has been rebuilt.
Nox heard something about paths but he was focusing on lessening the misery so he didn't pay it any mind. It was until he reached a point in the Solar Rotation technique that he couldn’t find the paths it was referencing inside his body. With no other choice, he traced where he believed the path should be. He quickly learned that a burning sting meant he had traced off the path and a warm tingle when he was on right track. He continued this for hours and hours until he realized how parched his throat was and how hungry he was. Lucky, there were vials of water nearby which he did not remember having there. They tasted strange but they filled him up and so, he continued to cycle and cycle until he lost himself to the passage of time.
A new Mana Path has been built...