Sitting cross-legged on the living room couch, Kai used the technique his parents gave him to circulate the mana throughout his body. From the outside into his limbs and then to his cores, the process ran smoothly until the part where the cores needed to absorb the mana. When it reached the Body Core Shell, the mana scattered, unwilling to fuse with it or even pass through it, he repeated the process time and time, and each time it yielded the same result.
“It looks like the Body Core Shell is unwilling to absorb the mana and filter it, something your Mana Core can’t do anymore…” Aina noted down this discovery in Kai’s notebook, which she grabbed from upstairs before commencing the experiment. “Now try using the other technique.”
Kai did as told and used the Body Core Technique, which gathered and processed mana at a faster rate than the other technique. However, unlike its counterpart, this one did not limit the amount or type of mana, which meant it took more time to filter it. Just like before the process went smoothly up until the absorption part. While the Body Core-Shell accepted this mana gathered using this technique, the Mana Core refused to accept more than ten percent of it into its storage, and that ten percent being the purest yet filtered type of mana.
“It looks like these two are really picky with their food.” Kai chuckled nervously, not having expected this. What could even be the cause for this? The two techniques are similar enough in terms of how it’s done, so what sets them apart besides the functionality? This is way more complex than I thought originally…
“Alright Kai, now try using both at the same time like you described in your notes.”
Nodding gently, Kai closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. He began chanting the Mana Core technique in his head, and the Body Core technique out loud. The surrounding mana instantly shot toward Kai, regardless of the level of purity, and flowed through his veins like a raging river. It didn’t take long for it to slam into the Body Core Shell, which filtered about fifty percent of the mana whilst the rest scattered inside Kai’s body.
After the filtering was done, again, the Mana Core accepted about fifty percent of the mana, leading to a small increase in its total storage.
“I see… so it looks like there is a conflict between the two, which was to be expected,” Elizabeth said as she carefully observed Kai, who continued chanting the techniques. “At the same time, they can work harmoniously together, but the results are less than optimal. Even if his core was originally red, it didn’t take him a long time to reach the rank of One Star. But now under these circumstances, advancing will become harder and harder with each new star.”
Aina nodded softly, slowly writing down her theories inside the yellow pages. “But he can at least absorb some mana, and there doesn’t seem to be any leaks. He will get stronger with time, thankfully, but it’ll take at least twice as long for him to advance.”
Upon hearing that, Kai suddenly stopped the techniques, his eyes snapping open. He bit his lower lip and clenched his fists, however he only let out a soft, defeated sigh. “That just means I have to train twice as hard… it’s doable, I can do it!”
The two women exchanged a look before smiling softly at each other. Aina put down the notebook on the coffee table in front of her and crossed her legs before parting her lips. “You’re right, until we find another technique or means for you to better gather mana, this is the best we got. This is still an unknown land for us. You are the first ever person to do this, and so we must research this further.”
Aina glanced back at Elizabeth, seemingly giving her the stick, which she accepted with an understanding nod. “With that being said, Kai.” His and her eyes met mid-air, causing a shiver to run down Kai’s spine. “Now that you have achieved… this, My mother and I decided that we could talk to Arthur and ask him to let you enter the academy the same way Sverik is. The convoy will take two more months to arrive here and pick him up, which gives you plenty of time to reach at least One Star.
That is well below the requirement, but given your special circumstances I’m sure he’d accept.” She inhaled deeply, catching her breath. Kai’s pupils widened, and his heart raced as this new opportunity suddenly presented itself before him. The two looked at him with eager expressions, and sweat dripped down his body as he struggled to come up with an answer.
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A few awkward minutes passed, and Kai’s brain seemingly turned to mush as he remained unable to utter a word. Aina and her daughter chuckled at the sight, after which she flicked his forehead, awakening him from his trance. “You don’t have to reply now, take your time Kai.” She reassured him, after which she got up and left the room, leaving him and Elizabeth all alone. The woman looked at Kai with a complex expression, unsure of what to say. However, before she had any time to think, Kai got up from his seat and bowed deeply toward her, catching her by surprise.
“I’m sorry for making you worry, and I’m sorry for being so reckless. Elizabeth, I knew I said I wouldn’t do it again, but I did and I regret hurting you and the others. You don’t need to forgive me… I-” His voice faltered suddenly, and his body shivered as Elly placed a hand over his shoulder, and said in a gentle tone.
“It’s alright, you don’t need to go so far. Although you did something stupid again, it all ended well so,” she sighed, a defeated smile creasing her lips. “Just get up now, I’m not mad at you.”
Kai’s head slowly rose, eventually meeting Elly’s midsection. He blushed briefly before raising his gaze and lost himself in her shiny emerald eyes. For a moment time seemed to have slowed down as his heart skipped a beat, however, he quickly pulled himself back together, and could only nod gently in response to Elizabeth’s kind words. She patted his head and chuckled lightly, although a hint of pain still hid well within her eyes.
…
Kai meditated somewhere in the manor’s backyard, accompanied by Onyx, who watched him from a distance. His chest heaved slightly as he circulated both techniques, trying to fill up his mana core. Currently, it sat at about fifteen percent of what it could hold, and for Kai to advance from a Small Core to a Medium Core, it would require about 150 percent. He let out a light sigh, his eyes slowly opening as he stopped. Laying down on the cold grass, he looked up at the sky, and he could only see bits and pieces from the dense foliage.
At this rate, it will take me a few months to reach the One Star Rank, just like Aiaa said. That is unless I somehow develop a new technique which is a mix of these two, but I don’t even understand the basics of them, so where do I begin? Even I can’t pull off miracles…
Thoughts raced in his mind, however regardless of how much he pondered about it, he just didn’t feel like he had enough knowledge to modify, let alone create a new technique. Maybe going to the magic academy is the right call, after all the experts there could help me, or at the very least I could learn myself. However, if it resembles anything like my old high school… Shuddering at the thought, he got up and sighed once again, prompting Onyx to come and snuggle him. Putting the Obborik’s head, he voiced his thoughts, albeit in a whisper. I’m sure they have something in their library somewhere… right? Wait… library!
Kai pulled out the necklace that hung around his neck, its intricate detail and beautiful color sparking his heart with joy and sorrow. Inside it, the cubical shape of the library his parents took and placed inside seemed to be calling for him. Maybe they had something that could help me understand techniques better… He rubbed its surface, remembering the moment it sucked the last bit of magic he had on him… plus the life of one of the crystals on his wand. Remembering it, his ring glowed with a soft light, and also pulled it out. The beautifully carved branch and carefully placed crystals filled him with a sense of nostalgia like never before. He took out the destroyed crystals, casting them away and replacing them with a firestone. His eyes suddenly lit up, and he manually removed the rest of the crystals and replaced them with the fire ones the old wandmaker gave him.
He stood up and walked a distance away within the open field and for the first time in a year, he cast a spell. Holding the wand in front of him, he felt the mana within his core exit and travel through his right arm, then the hand and the fingers, finally meeting the wand which gladly accepted the energy. It let out a joyful screech, like that of a phoenix as the crystals embedded within glowed like the stars in the night sky. Finally, a simple fireball appeared in front of him as he murmured the syllables required for the spell, which he then pointed at the sky.
It shot up into the air, causing the barrier surrounding Aina’s home to flicker as it traveled past it, and then it exploded high above the clouds. Like a firework at its peak, it created a spectacle that Kai had never thought he’d ever see again. Fire rained down upon the barrier, dissipating as soon as it made contact with it under Kai’s widened pupils. A large grin, stretching from one ear to the other manifested on his face, and blood rushed through his veins.