My enemies faced two possible conclusions: either I was significantly stronger than I appeared, which would prompt them to send overwhelming force in the next attempt, or my guards were more capable than they anticipated, leading them to plan around my protection.
Neither scenario favoured in future encounters.
I needed to maximize my training efficiency while I had ti. The academy’s training facilities would allow to push my abilities for now until things cooled down a little. Blood Control, my enhanced physique, and weapon techniques all required constant refinent.
The training grounds were less crowded during evening hours, giving space to practice without attracting unwanted attention. I had learned today that my true capabilities needed to remain hidden until absolutely necessary.
...
Walking through the corridor, I bumped into Victor Castellane, also known as the Wiseman among the second year students.
He stopped with a knowing smile. "Adrian, have you heard that Kyle has already broken your record?"
I shook my head. "I haven’t heard that news yet."
There was no surprise in my mind, I had expected Kyle to improve at a similar rate. He was the protagonist, after all, and rapid developnt was practically guaranteed for soone in his position.
Victor’s next words caught slightly off guard. "Would you like to attempt breaking his record? Any instructor is allowed to oversee your attempt, it doesn’t necessarily need to be your horoom teacher."
I studied his face for a mont, noting the expression behind his friendly deanour. This wasn’t just a casual offer, Victor was testing sothing, though his exact motives remained unclear.
"Thanks, Instructor Victor, but I’m not ready to break the record yet. Maybe another ti."
Victor nodded, though I caught a flicker of disappointnt in his eyes. "That’s unfortunate."
"Perhaps when I’m better prepared."
"Of course. The opportunity remains open whenever you feel ready this week." He paused aningfully.
With that comnt, he continued down the corridor with his hands behind his back. I glanced at his retreating figure before turning away to enter one of the training rooms.
Inside the elite-rank training room I had rented for 1,000 points over two hours, I began practicing my secret art’s first form—Null Strike—alongside my {Blood Enhancent} trait. Blood Enhancent was my lowest-level ability, making it the most efficient target for improvent since early-stage skills progressed more rapidly.
My secret art carried Overlord rank, even though I could currently only access its Elite-rank applications. The power was undeniable, and dedicated practice would strengthen both the technique and my overall swordsmanship foundation.
Each repetition of the Null Strike brought subtle improvents to my understanding. The movents beca more fluid, the mana channelling more precise, and my grasp of the underlying principles deeper. The art seed to teach about swordsmanship on a fundantal level, revealing insights that went beyond re technique morization.
Blood Enhancent responded well to repeated activation cycles. I practiced controlling different levels of circulation enhancent, learning to modulate the intensity based on specific needs. Light enhancent for extended periods, moderate boost for general combat, and maximum amplification for critical monts when overwhelming force was necessary.
The training room’s reinforced walls and magical barriers contained the effects of my practice, allowing to push harder without concern for collateral damage. I alternated between solo sword forms and enhancent exercises, building muscle mory for seamless integration during actual combat.
After an hour of intensive practice, sweat covered my body despite my enhanced physique. The combination of physical exertion and mana expenditure was taxing, but I could feel asurable improvent in both abilities.
Ti to continue pushing my limits while I had the opportunity.
For the remaining hour, I focused on Blood Control training, pushing my abilities to their current limits. The training room’s privacy was crucial, there was no surveillance to monitor students in their reserved spaces, ensuring complete confidentiality for sensitive skill developnt.
This isolation allowed to practice Blood Control without concern about observers discovering this rare and potentially alarming ability.
I began experinting with weapon formation using my own blood. Starting with simple shapes, I gradually worked toward more complex constructs. I was able to create one or two spears of blood without any issue, but controlling them and manoeuvring them around was an issue. Thus, I decided to work on controlling multiple objects in the air at the sa ti.
I experinted with different kinds of weapons. After spears ca maces, requiring to concentrate the blood into denser formations at the striking end while keeping the handle appropriately balanced. The weight distribution was tricky, but practice improved my control over density variations.
Swords were slightly tricky to make as creating a proper blade edge while maintaining structural integrity throughout the entire weapon tested my manipulation skills. The blood needed to be compressed and hardened differently for the cutting surface versus the tang and grip areas.
Shields didn’t present a big challenge to create. I simply had to think about the surface area coverage, balance and defensive positioning. I practiced forming both small bucklers for deflection and larger tower shields for stronger protection.
Each weapon type taught different aspects of blood manipulation, compression techniques, engineering principles, and the relationship between form and function. The blood responded to my ntal commands with increasing responsiveness as my understanding deepened.
By the session’s end, I had improved rapidly. I could cycle between different weapon configurations, adapting my arsenal to different combat scenarios. The versatility of Blood Control was becoming apparent, limited only by my imagination and understanding of physics.
The two-hour training session had significantly advanced my practical application of multiple abilities.
Unfortunately, I was still unable to level up any of my traits, but the training wasn’t for naught. Despite the visible progression, I could feel it and I was certainly satisfied with the result.
[Student Adrian Blackwood, your training session is over, please head out within the next minute. Any delay might result in a point penalty, or persecution.] A robotic voice sounded within the room.
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