"Right," Ethan nodded, his eyes filled with determination as he lifted the talent crystal.Carefully, he channeled his mana into it.As his energy flowed, the crystal began to glow, its light growing brighter with each passing moment.Warm hues bathed Ethan's face, highlighting his focused expression.Within the crystal, tiny specks of light ignited, swirling and dancing like fireflies trapped in glass.Despite the crystal's brilliance, Ethan knew he still had a way to go before reaching the esteemed 1-star Bronze Enhanced Fighter rank.But the intensity of the glow was promising.Around him, his classmates watched with bated breath, their gazes fixed on the luminous crystal.Each shimmering speck represented a unit of mana, filling the bottom of the long crystal. Numbers marked the height of the mana; the more potent it was, the higher it filled the crystal."Ethan, you're improving so fast! You already have 61 mana!" Carlos exclaimed, unable to contain his excitement.With a mana of
In the past few days, Alex had been busy sharing various cultivation techniques tailored to each student.Some found it hard to understand their new methods, and Alex patiently guided each of them.Finally, they all settled into the right techniques, and for the first time, they felt progress beyond anything they’d achieved with the institute’s methods.“Alex, when we reach the Bronze level, and even become a noble later, we'll always think of you as our leader. That will never change.” Gratitude filled every student’s voice, each of them feeling deeply indebted to Alex.Alex chuckled, “Remember, no matter how potent the cultivation technique, if you’re not diligent, it’ll be useless. Reaching the highest level also depends on your hard work.”One of the students quickly chimed in, “Leader, I don’t need to reach the highest level. I’ll work hard in cultivation and training. I’ll be happy if I can reach the 1-star Silver Rank as an enhanced fighter.”“Silver Rank?” Alex shook his head,
Ethan, Carlos, and the other students were progressing even faster in their cultivation.Ethan, in particular, was advancing rapidly; he was already approaching the 1-star Bronze Rank, nearing the 100 mana point threshold.One could only imagine the surge in power they’d experience as their mana levels continued to rise.Reaching 1-star Bronze Rank or 100 mana points in two months didn’t seem impossible for Alex either.He might even aim for 2-star with 200 points, or 3-star at 300.During the next test, what expression would Shenny wear if she saw his unexpected progress?Meanwhile, in the fighter apprentice class, the seats for Alex and his group of commoner students had been empty for days.No one knew where they’d gone.Cassandra, aware of Alex’s busyness, hadn’t dared to disturb him, but despite her own cultivation progress, a lingering ache in her body wouldn’t subside.Finally, she gathered her courage and sent him a message, waiting patiently.She asked to meet at the training
As night enveloped the training grounds, the moon cast a silver glow over everything below.Alex made his way to the agreed spot, a single bench at the corner of the training area, the most secluded one.Under the soft lunar light, Cassandra stood gracefully, her jet-black hair cascading over her shoulders.Her delicate features and elegant demeanor made her seem almost ethereal—a beauty rivaling Sofie’s.“I thought you weren’t coming,” Cassandra said, her eyes meeting his.“I always keep my promises,” Alex replied with a faint smile. “No matter how busy I am, helping you comes first.”“Thank you,” she whispered, lowering her gaze as she blushed, her voice soft with gratitude.Alex noticed she had dressed more elegantly than usual, in a white silk dress that accentuated her figure, flowing from her shoulders to her knees.The hem revealed her perfect form, shaped by years of diligent training.“Your injury should be improving,” Alex said as they both sat on the bench, gently taking he
“Oh, right, Alex—you've angered the Bolton family. You need to be careful,” Cassandra warned, her expression serious.She knew firsthand how ruthless the Boltons could be.Years ago, her family, the Hathaways, had fallen into one of their traps, losing more than 70% of their property.Forced into an alliance with the Boltons, they had yet to recover fully and were on the verge of losing their noble status.“I’m aware,” Alex replied with a faint smile.“The Boltons are too worried about their reputation to act against me openly. They’ll likely wait a few months before making a move. By then, I’ll be ready.”Seeing his calm confidence, Cassandra felt reassured.With Alex, no problem seemed too big, and her admiration for him deepened.Without him, her life would have felt so empty.She discovered a paradox: loving him until it hurt left no more room for pain, only for deeper love.Even if he never reciprocated her feelings, she resolved to stay by his side until he noticed her devotion.
Alex drew a deep breath, trying to quell the excitement thrumming through his veins.For ages, he’d wanted a chance to get close to Sofie, but he didn’t want to intrude.With her engagement to Vlad still unconfirmed, he felt an urgent need to strengthen himself.Only by becoming more powerful could he challenge the Bolton family and win Sofie away from Vlad."You guys go on ahead. I've got something to take care of," Alex said to Ethan, Carlos, and the others.Ethan and Carlos exchanged glances, following his gaze to where Sofie sat at the library table.Clutching an ancient book, she read quietly, resembling an ethereal figure."I bet Alex strikes out in under five minutes," Carlos smirked. "The prettiest girl in class won't even look his way.""Three minutes. Let’s hope he doesn’t take it too hard," Ethan murmured.They hid around a corner, watching Alex approach her."She’ll probably ignore him," one of the commoner students whispered. "Even Vlad hasn’t managed to get close to her.
Sophie felt a mix of relief and admiration.She'd consulted professors and even the vice-principal, but none had spotted the flaw."And the other scroll?" she asked, her eyes filled with newfound hope.Alex held it up, his gaze thoughtful."This is 'Blizzard Magic,' originally a silver-ranked inscription from the Earth Empire. But the scribe didn't fully understand it and tried to compensate for missing runes to make the whole inscription work.""Can it be fixed?" she asked, hope creeping into her voice."Yes, by restoring its original structure." He extended his hand toward her. "May I have a pen?"She handed him a special inscription pen filled with mana-infused ink, their fingers brushing briefly.A slight blush warmed her cheeks, but she focused intently as he began to draw.With swift, confident strokes, Alex redrew the inscription runes, adding complex patterns that intertwined seamlessly.The ink glowed softly as he worked."This is the complete version," he explained, stepping
"Die!" Vlad roared, his face contorted with rage as he recklessly channeled mana into his fists and launched a wild assault on Alex.But Alex's combat experience far surpassed Vlad's; he had faced countless battles, honing his skills to perfection.He didn't need to raise his own mana for protection. With smooth, effortless movements, he evaded all of Vlad's clumsy attacks.Vlad was like a raging bull—full of brute force but lacking precision.His use of mana was crude; he merely tried to overwhelm his opponent with sheer power.To Alex, it was amateurish. Mana wasn't meant to be used like this.He saw openings all over Vlad's approach; if he wanted, Vlad would already be lying unconscious on the floor.But Alex saw no point in causing unnecessary harm; Vlad posed no real threat, now or in the future.Would a tiger consider a rabbit a threat? Even if it grew bigger, it would still be harmless—a laughable notion.Oblivious to his own limitations, Vlad felt invincible.A grin spread acr