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"So Doctor Frankenstein doesn't know about Consciousness?" I asked.
"He does! He simply uses it differently. You'll learn about Alchemy later," she laughed. "It's a unique art that isn't solely Arcane Path. It can blend with all paths, even Heart Path."
"Hm…" I nodded. "So that person I fought was likely a Heart Path Cultivator?"
"If he was such a master of Consciousness, yes," dea nodded. "Young lady, who was this man?"
"Rember that Vampire Teacher from before?" I asked.
"T-The one who attacked you?!" dea's fury surged, her long black hair writhing like angry tentacles. "I see! So that monster was a Consciousness Master! That explains why he slipped past our surveillance and nearly killed you… We've been trying to track him, but he's also skilled in the Arcane Path, and we suspect he practices Heaven and Earth Dual Cultivation too."
"So he's an all-around master?" I asked.
"He must have a weakness…" she growled, gnashing her teeth. "Grr! Just thinking about him makes my blood boil! If we ever et him again, I'll ensure his demise!"
"No, he's incredibly strong. dea, please don't do anything reckless," I sighed. "Anyway, can we continue our Arcane Path Cultivation? How many Mana Strands do I need to entangle with my Consciousness?"
"Oh, right! My apologies," she said, calming herself. "The Quintessential Mana Entanglent thod is never fully mastered. Its uniqueness lies in the ability to stack Mana Strands infinitely! However, the highest realm I've achieved is the twelfth stage, with thousands of Mana Strands."
"W-What?!" I gasped.
"To complete the first stage, you must entangle one hundred Mana Strands with your Consciousness. Not too hard, right? It shouldn't take more than a few days," she said.
"E-Eh? It took imnse effort to do it once…" I sighed. "I never thought learning Magic would be this challenging…"
"Well, to start learning the spells I've prepared, you need to master at least the first stage," she said. "Most magicians bypass this process by forming a contract with a higher being, but we won't do that here."
"I suppose we're taking the long path…" I nodded. "Okay, let's get to it…"
Unlike practicing Martial Arts, where I was constantly subjected to pain and fighting for my life against Wasp, practicing the Arcane Path was serene.
I sat cross-legged, bathed in starlight, focusing entirely on transforming my Consciousness into strands and entangling them with Mana repeatedly.
dea, anwhile, activated a special formation that accelerated my ntal processes, allowing to entangle thirty Mana Strands by the end of the day.
"Well done, young lady! Thirty on the first day is exceptional!" she said, clapping. "It took a month to reach thirty myself."
"A month?" I asked, incredulous. "T-That long? How?"
"It seems Mana favors you, making it easier," she said. "In my case, Mana was always wary of because I dealt with Demons."
"So the more Mana trusts soone, the easier it is to cultivate the Arcane Path?" I asked.
"Yes, sotis Mana can dislike soone. In those cases, the only way to manipulate Mana freely is through Artifacts or special Alchemy thods," she explained.
"Is there no way to increase Mana's affinity for soone?" I asked.
"There are many ways, but if a person persists in actions Mana disapproves of, they may never reconcile with it," dea explained.
Geez, she's describing Mana like it's a grumpy person!
"Ugh, I've done enough. I'll keep practicing in my room."
"Please do! Oh, wait, no goodbye kiss?"
dea hugged , kissing my forehead and nose.
I couldn't help feeling a bit embarrassed. She was such a striking woman, it was hard not to be flustered.
"Heheh, what's wrong, young lady? You seem all flustered."
"W-Well, you're too touchy!"
"I'm sorry~! It's just how I am with you, fufu."
As she giggled playfully, I sighed, leaving her Domain.
Back in my vast room, more akin to a hall, I flopped onto my bed and sighed.
While resting, I continued entangling Mana Strands.
I tried to make it automatic.
But I failed instantly.
Without focus, it was impossible. This wasn't sothing I could delegate to an automatic function.
So I concentrated, staring at the ceiling while entangling Mana Strands very slowly.
At so point, my maids arrived, bringing dinner.
Several hours had passed, and I'd only managed seven more…
"I see, so you're learning that special thod from Lady dea…!" Isna nodded.
"It's hard, right? We tried it once but couldn't do it," Acelina sighed.
"Yes, it's tough. I've barely made 38 Mana Strands," I sighed. "I need a hundred!"
"38?!" Both gasped in shock.
"Ah, yeah…" I muttered.
"We struggled to make even a single Mana Strand!" Acelina said.
"After a week without success, we gave up. We weren't suited for it," Isna laughed.
"Well, I guess this thod suits better," I said. "Don't feel discouraged! You two are plenty strong in your own way."
"Thank you, young lady," Isna smiled.
"We've been busy preparing for the upcoming entrance exam," Acelina said. "Sorry we've been a bit absent."
"That's fine. As long as you're here in the mornings and for dinner, I'm happy," I said with a gentle smile.
"Shall we take a bath now, young lady?" Isna asked. "I'm sure you need to wash away your exhaustion."
"That would be perfect, thank you," I nodded.
The two promptly prepared a soothing bath with special salts and dicinal herbs, which helped my body relax.
Soaking in these magical herbs sohow enhanced my ability to perceive and manipulate Mana, allowing to entangle Mana Strands faster than usual.
After the bath, I felt refreshed and ready to continue, but…
Well, my two maids bathed with , and after seeing their glistening, bare forms, I could hardly restrain myself.
Noticing their encouragent, I channeled the desire I felt for dea toward my two lovely maids.
That night, I didn't sleep—I didn't need to unless I overexerted myself physically—so I continued entangling Mana Strands until morning.
"Sixty! Finally!"
It was slow yet fast simultaneously. To others, it seed swift, but to , it felt agonizingly sluggish.
Perhaps I was too accustod to use Skills through the System.
Doctor Frankenstein was likely waiting in his Domain, so I quickly rose and prepared to learn about Alchemy from him.
Alchemy was the subject I was least eager for, but perhaps I could glean sothing valuable from him.
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