"Argh!"
Akamir woke with a sharp gasp.
Pain shot through every inch of his body, hot and aching, as if he had been crushed under a mountain.
He blinked up at the ceiling, confused for a moment.
'Oh, yeah. I am back.'
He thought, turning his head, the morning light slipped through the curtains.
'Last night was hell as well.'
The monsters chased him till he reached back home, and he was only safe after entering inside.
'Good thing by placing the statue at the door, they can't come in.'
Akamir rolled onto his side, wincing at the sharp pain in his ribs.
'I should take rest for today.'
He thought, sitting back up, still having some sleep in his eyes.
The door creaked open, and Zia stepped inside in her usual maid outfit.
"What are you even doing in the forest?" she asked, concern clear on her face.
"Nothing much." Akamir mumbled, standing up as he walked towards her. "Mind warming a bath for me?"
Zia sighed, rubbing her eyes. "....Fine."
Akamir nodded as he moved out of the room.
---
"Huff...."
After taking the bath and eating to his fill, Akamir moved towards the living room with a few books.
One of them was the basics of the magic circle, the ones that are taught in the academy.
He dropped the books onto the table with a soft thud and slumped into the nearest chair.
His body still ached, but the bath had helped, and the food had brought some warmth back into him.
Akamir opened the book on magic circles, flipping through the first few pages lazily.
Strange symbols and patterns stared back at him, neat and simple compared to the one the princess used before.
'The ones she used were different... perhaps high level?'
He thought, tapping his finger lightly on the page.
These ones were safe. Predictable.
Nothing like the chaotic and dangerous energy he had felt at the palace.
Still, if he wanted to survive the next time he went out, he needed to learn more.
He leaned back in the chair, resting the book on his lap, his eyes scanning the simple diagrams.
Basic circles for shielding, small enchantments for healing, traps that could slow an enemy's steps.
Akamir traced a finger over one of the circles, feeling a faint thrum of mana in the air.
"Focus your will... guide your mana through the pattern..." he mumbled, reading the instructions aloud.
"Simple enough."
He extended his hand in the air and closed his eyes, breathing deeply.
The familiar warmth of his mana stirred inside him, sluggish from exhaustion but still there.
He imagined it flowing from his abdomen, down his arm, into his fingertips... following the lines of the circle exactly.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then, with a soft pulse, a small shimmer appeared over the book.
A weak shield, barely the size of a plate, but a shield nonetheless.
Akamir cracked one eye open and grinned.
"Ha. Take that, you overgrown cockroaches," he whispered. "Not like it's gonna help much."
He let the shield fade and flipped the page, feeling a little better now.
Most of the next few pages were about strengthening the basic patterns.
Akamir traced another diagram with his finger, feeling the pull of mana a little stronger this time.
'The trick must be in the layering…'
He frowned, studying a slightly more complex circle that promised a stronger shield if stacked carefully.
It looked simple on paper, but Akamir knew better by now.
He placed both palms down this time, gathering a little more mana, and began to draw the pattern midair.
The lines glowed faintly, forming a thin web of light.
"Easy... easy…" he muttered under his breath.
But—.
Halfway through, his mana flickered and the circle vanished.
'....Fuck.'
It seemed his mana isn't enough to even form a more complex shield.
Akamir willed his status screen to conjure in front of him.
=====
Name: Asher Leon Vyavan.
True name: [Locked]
Core: [Red] [Tier 1]
Saturation: 0.9/1
---
Attributes:
Strength: 19
Agility: 18
Endurance: 19
Charm: 35
---
Memories: [Locked]
---
Skills:
[Vyavan Sword Art] (registered)
[Holy Aura]
[Foxdrift]
[Emperor Sword Art]
---
Unique traits:
King's Will.
Devourer.
Chi user.
Prodigy.
====
Akamir stared at his status screen.
In only a week, he had grown a lot from the weak body he had to a somewhat decent one.
'I still am weak though.'
Had the trials not been regressed to his level, Akamir wasn't sure if he could have won any of them.
'...I can break through?'
Akamir wondered, staring at the saturation that had reached its peak.
Taking in a deep breath, he pushed his body up before he walked out in the backyard.
It was wrecked by the monsters but still usable for him.
Akamir stretched his body as he tried to remember the way to ascend.
'To break through, one has to empty their core and then refill it a few times.'
By continuing to do the same process, he can force his core to take in more mana.
Akamir sat cross-legged in the center of the wrecked backyard, the morning light warming his back.
He closed his eyes, drawing slow, deliberate breaths.
In... hold... out.
Mana, sluggish and heavy in his core, filled to its brim.
Taking in a deep breath, Akamir opened his eyes as he stood up and grabbed a wooden sword.
He took the sword stance, ready to use every drop of mana while practicing.
"Huff...."
He drew in a deep breath and moved.
[Vyavan Sword Art]
Akamir's body moved instinctively, following the familiar flow of the Vyavan Sword Art.
Even though he hasn't practiced it for long, Akamir remembered it properly.
'In the first place... have I truly learned anything of this world?'
From using chi to his previous world footwork, Akamir had been too fixated on his previous world.
'If I want to live in this world, I need to learn how things work here.'
Even though chi was a good alternative, his body suited mana more.
'I should start balancing things otherwise I would be too reliant on chi.'
Those with red cores mainly use mana to strengthen their body, and Akamir did exactly that.
Mana surged through him, flowing along the paths he carved with his movements, guided by the art.
Each swing of the wooden sword bled mana from his core, forcing it to empty bit by bit.
He gritted his teeth as he pushed himself harder, sweat quickly soaking through his shirt.
The weight in his limbs grew heavier, the morning sun harsh against his skin, but he didn't stop.
Empty it. Fill it. Empty it again.
That was the path forward.
Again and again, he cycled his mana, draining it with the relentless swings of the sword, then drawing in fresh energy from the world around him.
At first, it was slow...painfully so.
But gradually, with each cycle, the process became smoother, faster.
The mana refilling his core seemed purer, lighter, as if his body was learning how to draw it in more efficiently.
One more time.
He thrust forward, feeling the last bit of mana pour out from him.
His core shuddered, a brittle sensation, as if something inside him was close to cracking.
Akamir dropped to one knee, breathing heavily, his vision swimming.
Then—.
Crack!
A soundless shock reverberated through his body.
Like a shell, his core cracked before healing back.
A warm, orange light flooded from deep within his abdomen, surging through his veins like fire and lightning at once.
Akamir gasped, arching his back as a tidal wave of mana rushed in to fill the void.
[Core Advancement: Orange Core Tier 2 Achieved.]
[Attributes slightly increased.]
[New passive trait unlocked: Mana Tempering.]
As the message appeared in front of his face, Akamir chuckled.
Akamir collapsed backward onto the torn grass, chest heaving, a wide, tired grin on his face.
"Hah...hah..."
He stared up at the sky, watching the white clouds drift lazily overhead.
'Now, I need to know how strong I have become.'
"Young master?"
A deep voice of his knight made Akamir sit back up.
"Perfect timing."
He said, grabbing his sword once again.