As time passed, Kai trained, fighting off wild animals and trying to survive against Euphridia, and working on coordinating with Onyx. These challenges proved to be more difficult than Kai expected as the opponents Euphiridia and Elizabeth threw at him grew stronger and stronger. To his surprise, the Dark Urs he fought before proved to be nothing more than a baby compared to the Ricakle, Mosperus, and Turtaroo. Thanks to them, and Euphy’s training, his sword skills improved greatly, though nowhere near where his teacher wanted him to be.

Kai meditated every chance he got, whether they were in the forest or the training ground, he always used the techniques to improve his mana capacity. However the contrast between the mana inside the forest and the manor was too great, and he decided to nap instead of training while they were out hunting. The Mixed Core hidden within his chest grew larger and larger, finally reaching the Big Core Rank. Along with it, his mana reserved reached ninety-five percent, almost at the maximum until it began to overflow. Aina also got ready to assist Kai with breaking through and forming his first star, the first step toward becoming a full-fledged Mage, a path he once again could tread. He wore a simple set of black clothes, a black cloak and shoes. His footsteps echoed in the eerie silence as he walked in the middle of the training field, his heart racing with excitement.

He sat down, crossing his legs and taking a deep breath. The moon showed itself, outshining the stars as it watched over Kai. Aina sat down on a chair close by. Onyx stood a bit farther away, watching over his companion and making sure that no surprises would occur.

Euphy and Elly walked closer to him, and Elizabeth pulled out her wand and drew a circle in the air. Almost immediately, a mana ring appeared around Kai, which fell to the ground. Once again waving her wand, the ring grew taller and met at the center, becoming a dome. Euphridia placed her hand on the sphere and gave Elly a slight nod.

Kai’s notebook, which by now was almost filled with his and Aina’s writing was placed on a wooden table, and alongside it was a

pill. Its cold surface illuminated the surroundings with a blue hue, and, if one looked closely, they could see a myriad of mana particles moving about inside. Aina picked it up and threw it toward Kai, who caught it with trembling hands. He took it between his fingers, hypnotized by its enchanting pattern, and almost forgot why he had it in the first place.

“Ahem,” Aina cleared her throat and met her eyes with Kai, feeling his anxiety through the crimson hue of his shaking pupils. “That is the best pill we managed to make so far. To be honest, it borders on the edge of being poison… I don’t honestly believe anyone but you could take it and survive its effects, which besides increased mana regeneration and temporary boost of capacity, remain unknown.”

After saying that, she, along with Elizabeth, placed their hands on the dome, and the three of them sent large quantities of mana inside it.

Kai’s pupils widened at the sight, immediately feeling the mana inside this little bubble rapidly increasing in quality. He nodded and gulped as a cold shiver ran down his spine. Staring at the pill, he grits his teeth and finally, he takes it between his lips. The cold feeling made him shudder, however, with clenched fists, he swallowed it in one gulp.

Making its way down his throat, the pill dissolved quickly and Kai began chanting the two techniques at the same time. The released energy swiftly traveled through his body and into the mana veins. A thin layer of ice manifested around his mana veins, and his blood turned icy as it traveled through his body. Gritting his teeth, he endured the freezing, numbing pain and kept on chanting as the mana slowly made its way to the core.

As it did, the layer of ice became thicker and thicker, almost causing his blood to freeze in place. Kai’s body stiffened, frost almost forming on his arms, legs, and neck. Beads of water trickled down his skin due to the temperature difference, turning his pale skin even more so. The three women watched him with anxiety, and Onyx got up and got closer to his companion, worry evident in his eyes.

Kai shivered, and a low growl escaped his body, however he endured and marched on, not stopping the technique for even a moment. Besides the wild energy running around in his body, he absorbed the mana provided by the three and the one rushing toward him from all around. The barrier, the dome served as a quick filter for the mana, increasing its quality before mixing with the rest and entering his body.

His mind remained clear, and he did his best to stay calm as the mana core filled up. The last five percent, according to Aina and his experience, will require exponentially more mana than the first ninety-five percent. And he quickly found it to be true. As the mana made its way through his body, the Mixed Mana Core’s capacity increased very slowly, however, he knew that he had more than enough mana. What he lacked, however, was time. Just as Aina said, the mana pill made him feel like thousands of ice needles pierced his body, cutting off his nerves which gradually turned him into an icy statue.

However, all he could do in this situation was quicken his chanting and wait. His mumbled words became incoherent, and the strain on his mind almost reached its maximum as he hurried the pace.

Ninety Six Percent.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

Gritting his teeth, he endured the pain, his heart skipping a beat upon reaching this mark. He would have let out a relieved sigh were it not for his current situation, as the energy from the pill showed no signs of slowing down. It raced through his body, exploring every available inch it could as it circled, waiting to be absorbed by the core. His fingers and toes turned a black color, which slowly spread upward.

Ninety-Seven Percent.

The minutes that passed felt like hours to Kai, and his teeth began to clatter from the icy air. The women watched from outside, biting their lips. However, they remained calm, and Aina’s hand glowed with a green hue as she sent healing magic straight into the dome. The rapid spreading of the frostbite halted, however it seemed that was as much as she could do, and even adding Elizabeth’s healing didn’t make the situation any better. Sighing, they watched and pumped Kai’s dome with mana. It’s all on him now.

Ninety Eight Percent.

The more it filled up, the more mana it required to advance, and the more pain Kai went through. His chanting speed began slowing down due to the fatigue and cold, however his voice didn’t falter.

Ninety Nine Percent.

He grit his teeth and pushed his mind to its limits, absorbing mana at incredible speeds, causing the damage it did to his body to become even more dangerous.

One Hundred Percent.

He let out an anguished scream as his mana core filled up, temporarily breaking the chanting as he jumped to his feet. The frostbite sent pain coursing through his body, however, he ignored it and began chanting once again. Aina’s Elizabeth’s and Euphirida’s expressions lit up, and they fed Kai even more mana as it began to overflow within his body. This is it, this is the moment we find out if everything we’ve done so far was in vain. Please, Kai, do it! Aina prayed internally, gritting her teeth.

Mana gathered around Kai’s Mixed Core, circling it briefly before choosing a spot not too far from it where it began to gather. The familiar feeling of a star beginning to form washed over Kai’s body, making him let out an icy sigh of relief. All the mana remaining within his body gathered in that single spot, compressing itself as it began to form a very thin layer, which slowly expanded as more and more mana entered it.

At the same time, Kai began shrinking his Mixed Mana Core. The process was slow and difficult, and he grits his clattering teeth. How much he shrunk and compressed it would determine how much more mana he could store in the future, so naturally he did his best to do that while the star formed itself. It glowed with a faint, blue hue, its shine only increasing as it absorbed more and more mana.

Seconds, minutes, hours passed. His core was now at the same size it had when it was small, and the star, in comparison, grew to be larger than his Big Mana Core and didn’t show any signs of stopping just yet. Due to its ethereal, nonphysical nature, the star could, in theory, grow as big as a real one, given that the right circumstances were met. However, Kai, Aina, and the others knew that it was nothing but a dream to achieve such a feat. With mana still present in his body, and plenty more to be absorbed from the outside, Kai decided to push his limits and compress the core even more whilst at the same time growing his first star.

Biting his lower lip, he began bringing the star closer to the core, hoping that its pressure would help him. His heart skipped a beat as the core showed clear signs of shrinking, and, overjoyed, he aided the star, which grew bigger and bigger.

Outside his body, the three girls sighed and fell to their knees, feeling that Kai had succeeded in breaking through. Their hands left the barrier, which slowly began opening as it lost its mana supply.

“He did it…” Aina’s raspy, fatigued voice left her body, echoing in the other’s ears. Elizabeth and Euphirida only nodded, and a soft smile creased their lips as they gasped for air. However, even after a count passing, the mana whirling around Kai still didn’t stop, and a faint, blue light appeared in the middle of his chest.

“What is that?” Euphridia asked, backing away along with Elizabeth. Aina’s pupils widened at the sight, and she jumped to her feet, ignoring any sort of fatigue or lack of mana she had. Her eyes shone with an inconceivable light, wonder and shock filling them.

“That’s… his star.”.

“What?!” The other two’s pupils constricted, watching in awe as the light before them grew brighter with each passing second. Kai’s figure disappeared behind the wall of light, the star swallowing him and taking his place. The enchanting blue hue became a blinding spectacle of colors, and ultimately the three, and Onyx had no choice but to shut their eyes.

Kai stood there, unmoving, his mumbling breaths echoing in the dark quiet of the night. His voice, carried by the wind, crashing through the leaves, sang an incomprehensible song as his star grew larger and brighter. The moon’s light shone upon him, stronger and harsher than before, seemingly jealous of his newfound brilliance. However, he remained unbothered despite the sizzling pain spreading across his body and continued chanting as his mouth dried up and his mind turned to mush.

The wind howled as Kai absorbed more and more mana, at a faster and faster pace. A small tornado-like air current formed around him, disheveling his unkept hair, which now swayed wildly about. Suddenly, his eyes snapped open, the crimson pupils within shining with a sharp light. Finally moving his frozen hands, he slowly brought them together. At the same time, the star’s light dwindled, or rather, decreased as it retracted into his body. It became smaller and smaller, compressing itself at the same time as the core until it finally reached its limits. Both the Mixed Core and Star were the same size, no bigger than a baby’s fist. The quality of the mana inside them, however, could be likened to the difference between heaven and earth.

Kai’s frostbite gradually disappeared, his color returning to normal as the star began to orbit his core, like the moon orbits the earth and the earth the sun. Clenching his fists, he held back a yell and instead let out a deep sigh of relief as he collapsed. Hitting the ground with a soft thud, Onyx immediately rushed to his side, sniffing his face and chest before laying on top of him.