Chapter 67: Mana Breathing and Spell Training.
Aiden walked out of the hall with steady steps, moving forward without looking back. Aaron was quietly tailing him a few meters away, doing his best to keep up with Aidens' pace.
Behind them, Victoria was rushing after the two, her steps fast as she tried to catch up. When she finally got close enough, she looked at Aiden's back and asked softly, "Why did you save her?"
Aiden didn't reply. He didn't even slow down. He simply kept walking toward the training ground. Victoria didn't mind his silence, since she was already used to this part of his personality, but she was still confused—deep down, she really wanted to know why Aiden had saved Olivia.
Her curiosity didn't fade, even as she followed behind him.
After a few minutes, all three of them reached the training grounds.
The training field was large, filled with different students practicing mana spells. The sky above was bright, and the sounds of spells exploding, wind slicing, earth cracking, and water splashing echoed around them.
Aiden looked around calmly and found an empty spot at the very edge. Without saying a word, he walked to it and began doing some stretches. Victoria and Aaron copied him, moving a second slower, watching him closely.
After finishing a few stretches, Aiden poured mana into his necklace. In the next moment, an illusion formed around him. A soft ripple of mana spread outward, hiding the exact spells he used from outside eyes.
Then he began practicing his stage 2 mana spells. His movements became steady, smooth, and sharp.
Aiden conjured many earth golems, the ground shaking slightly as the rough figures rose before him. Thin mana strings—the puppeteer strings—extended from his fingers as he controlled the golem.
He made it attack him, forcing himself to react quickly. At the same time, he conjured an enhanced version of a fire blade in one hand and an improved lightning sword in the other.
He moved around the golem, slicing it apart and dodging its heavy punches. Every movement was clean, practiced, controlled.
After some time, he switched to a different weapon. His fire blade disappeared as he conjured a water whip, which cracked sharply in the air, slicing through a golem's arm.
In his other hand, he formed an earth sword, its weight heavy yet steady. He used the whip to bind a golem's leg and the sword to crush its head.
Then he switched again, conjuring a metal bow. He pulled the string back and created lightning arrows one after another, shooting them with incredible speed. The arrows pierced through the golems, exploding into sparks. After that, he conjured fire arrows that burned through the stone bodies.
He enhanced his brain with lightning mana to think faster. His eyes became sharper. His movements grew even more precise.
Next, he stopped using weapons completely. He conjured enhanced wind cutters, sending dozens of sharp blades flying through the air, cutting through the golems' bodies. Then he created a small storm around himself, using swirling wind mana to break apart the golems' arms and legs.
He raised his hand and shot light beams, destroying their heads with clean accuracy. He used condensed light beams to destroy the golem's heads.
Then he went further—he used a parasite spell on the golems, letting the spell disrupt his own thoughts to test his mental fortitude. He used illusions to hide the golems' bodies as they attacked him from different angles.
Sometimes they managed to land a hit, and he was injured, but he instantly healed himself without stopping his movements.
He continued training again and again, improving his control over mana, sharpening his spell-casting speed, and pushing himself to the limit.
Victoria and Aaron watched him closely. But from their eyes, Aiden was only using stage 1 mana spells continuously. They saw him moving around the training ground like he was dancing.
Water spells and fire spells appeared one after another, smooth and flowing. His technique and control looked almost perfect. Each spell was clean and precise.
Victoria and Aaron tried to copy his movements. Once again, Victoria struggled less than Aaron. Her movements were awkward, but still closer to Aiden's flow. Aaron tried hard to copy him, but he was clumsy, slow to react, and kept losing his balance. Still, he continued without giving up.
After an hour, Aiden finally stopped his training. Sweat soaked through his clothes from the constant use of mana spells. His breathing was calm but deep. His mana was completely drained.
He looked at Aaron and Victoria, who were now sitting on a bench nearby, resting and trying to catch their breath. They had stopped twenty minutes earlier due to exhaustion.
Aiden walked past them. Aaron quickly stood up and said to Victoria, "Goodbye."
Victoria nodded back and said, "Goodbye."
Aaron then followed Aiden as they headed back to their room, while Victoria walked toward her own dorm.
A few minutes later, Aiden and Aaron reached their room. They both washed up, letting the warm water relax their tired bodies. After washing his face, Aiden sat on his bed and began replenishing his mana. Aaron followed him and also sat down to absorb mana.
Two hours passed.
Aiden finally stopped, lying down on his bed. His eyes slowly closed as he began thinking about how to become stronger, faster than before.
His first problem was clear—his mana exhausted too quickly. After an hour of continuous training, he had no choice but to stop. He needed a solution.
His mind moved quickly as he tried to find one.
Then, an idea came to him. His eyes opened slightly as he thought to himself:
'What if I use the breathing technique to absorb mana while training? If I can do that, then my mana will never be exhausted.'
A spark lit inside him as he thought more. He started planning a full training routine on how to combine his breathing technique with his spell training. After forming a complete plan in his mind, he stopped thinking and slowly closed his eyes again.
He slept peacefully. The night outside was silent.
Morning arrived.
Sunlight entered their room through the windows, bright and warm. Birds chirped loudly outside the academy walls. Aiden suddenly opened his eyes and rubbed them. He got off his bed and went into the washroom to wash his face.
When he came out, he saw Aaron sitting on his bed, yawning loudly. Aaron saw him and said, "Good morning."
Aiden replied, "Good morning."
Aiden then sat on his bed and began absorbing mana from the surroundings. Aaron hurriedly stood up, washed his face quickly, and sat on his bed to absorb mana as well.
After twenty minutes, Aaron stopped. Aiden continued for twenty-five more minutes.
Then, he got up and began changing into his academy uniform. But this time, he didn't stop the breathing technique. He kept using it even while moving, even while changing clothes. He wanted his body to get used to doing two things at once.
After he finished changing, Aaron changed as well. Then they left the room and walked toward the cafeteria.
The moment they entered, the cafeteria went silent. Students who had been chatting stopped mid-sentence. Many had seen Aiden confront Professor Walter. Those who hadn't seen it had heard it from others. Second- and third-year students were also looking at him, observing him with interest and curiosity.
Aiden walked to the food area, picked up a tray, and began placing food onto it. Aaron followed him silently. After collecting their food, they moved to an empty table in the corner and sat down. They began eating.
A minute later, Victoria entered the cafeteria. She looked around until she spotted Aiden. She prepared her tray and walked toward them, sitting opposite Aiden. She looked at both of them and said, "Good morning."
Aaron replied, "Good morning," while Aiden simply looked at her and nodded.
The three began eating quietly.
Suddenly, another figure arrived.
It was Olivia.
She held a tray in her hands and sat opposite Aaron, right beside Victoria. She looked at Aiden for a moment, her eyes serious, and asked, "Why did you save me?"
Aiden, who was in the middle of eating, stopped. He looked at her and replied calmly, "It was to repay a debt to someone."
Olivia frowned in confusion as she asked. "What do you mean by repaying a debt?"
Aiden didn't reply. He simply went back to eating.
Olivia felt irritated. She leaned forward slightly and said, "I asked you a question."
Aiden still didn't reply.
Her irritation grew, and she was just about to say something when Victoria placed a hand on her shoulder and said, "Don't mind him. He doesn't talk much."
Olivia blinked, calming down a little. "So he doesn't like to talk."
Victoria nodded. "He mostly nods, and even when he replies, he just says a few words. So don't be angry with him."
Olivia was a little perplexed. She couldn't understand why someone who didn't like talking at all had stepped up for her. After a few seconds, she gathered her thoughts and said softly, "Okay."
Then she looked at Aiden again and said, "But I will not stop until he tells me why he saved me, and who he was indebted to."
Aiden didn't look at her. He kept eating. His mind was focused almost entirely on his breathing technique. He had not stopped absorbing mana since the moment he woke up.
An hour had passed since he began, and he knew his limit was two hours. Absorbing mana while doing other things was much harder than he expected. It demanded immense concentration and mental strength.
So Aiden stayed focused on his breathing practice.
After a few more minutes, he finished his food and stood up, leaving for his class without saying anything. Olivia watched him walk away, feeling his behavior extremely rude, but she didn't say anything.
Aaron and Victoria were already used to him, so they didn't mind it.
Aiden walked toward the classroom. He was looking forward to the Mana and Blood Relation class.
He wanted to know…What a bloodline specialty truly was.
Author's Note: As Aiden trains his breathing technique with spell training, he begins to grow stronger.