[in the training area]
It’s been 2 weeks since I beca Exalted.
Unlike the aura, the mana was easier to control imdiately, maybe it was because I had peak mana talent, but I didn’t care much.
I stood a little far from the poor training dummies and pointed my finger towards one.
I started channeling my pure mana from my core towards my finger, making the mana gather in front of it.
Imdiately a grey bullet materialized, I focused on the dummy and made a surge of mana to shoot the bullet.
*Bang!*
The bullet flew towards the dummy’s head, piercing it slightly.
I grinned. ’Just like the good old days.’
Then I heard soone clapping.
*Clap...Clap...Clap *
I shifted my gaze towards Celestia who was clapping. She was sitting a little far and Silva was resting on her lap while watching too .
Cel and I beca a little closer in the past days, she started watching practicing my mana saying that she wants to take inspiration from how I would use my special wind.
Well, I knew it was a cheap excuse to play with Silva, but I didn’t mind.
"Hey Cel, can you shoot anything at . I want to test sothing ."
"Mhm."
She raised her hand and an icicle materialized in front of her.
It was unrefined and not sharp enough but it could still harm with enough power.
She shot the icicle towards . I opened my palm and channeled my mana, forming a small grey barrier.
*Crack!*
The icicle hit the barrier and exploded into multiple shards.
The force behind the impact made stumble back a little, but I was okay .
I examined the barrier, there was a crack in its centre that spread like spiderweb.
’Better than the last ti.’
I dismissed the barrier instantly.
"Thank you, Cel."
I shifted my gaze to another dummy, this ti I started turning my mana into lightning mana before moving it.
I sent my mana above the dummy, the lightning mana moved with high speed and started gathering above the dummy forming the structure of my next spell.
"Lightning strike! "
*BOOM! "
The mana turned into a lightning strike, but it missed the dummy and fell behind it .
I clicked my tongue. ’tsk, my control is still not good.’
"Pfft."
"Don’t laugh, my affinities aren’t easy to control like yours. "
"But I didn’t laugh ."
"Did you forget about my improved hearing?"
"Oh."
Ignoring her, I started making phantom wind mana.
I raised my hand then dropped it vertically like a sword.
"Wind slash!"
Imdiately, a vertical cut appeared in the dummy.
The wind had no sound nor visible form. It was completely silent and invisible. You won’t notice it until the attack hits the target.
But I noticed that the cut wasn’t completely vertical.
I sighed. ’That’s the problem, no one can hear or see it, including . It’s hard to control sothing you can’t see just by imagination.
Then I summoned the BlackHail and started gathering my mana above my hand.
After so seconds, an arrow made of lightning materialized on my hand.
’Now, let’s try my aura.’
I enhanced the arrow with the phantom wind, stopping the crackling noises and making it invisible.
Then I shot it on the dummy.
*BOOM!*
From the start until the end, only the explosion sound appeared.
I nodded in satisfaction and recalled what I learned.
That was the main usage of the mana, Creation.
Unlike the aura which only enhances sothing that exist, the mana could be used to attack imdiately.
Instead of enhancing a sword you could create a sword. Instead of giving your spear lightning tip, just create a whole lightning spear. You just have to know the right spell.
In this world you don’t need chanting and saying strange words to do magic, just control the mana into a specific structure to create what you want .
You could make elental arrows, weapons, barriers or even complex spells like the lightning strikes and radiation beams.
You can either morize a specific spell to know how to use it or just make your own using your instincts. Like how I made a mana ball for the first ti.
After you make a spell, take a fire ball as an example.
An imaginary mana string would connect it to you, allowing you to manipulate it a little.
You could change the direction, slow it, make it explode. You just must have good control and enough mana.
But thanks to my invisible wind, I have to imagine the attack itself while trying to control it.
I shifted my gaze to another dummy.
I closed my eyes, focusing on my spatial awareness.
It was still hard for to focus on it while using my eyes. I can’t process multiple things together.
I focused on the space around the dummy and sent my space mana .
Unlike the normal slow pure mana and the quick lightning and wind mana, the space mana literally teleported there instantly!
"Gravity Field: Increase ! "
I increased the gravity around the dummy, causing it to crush in the ground.
Then I stopped the spell and started testing sothing else.
"Reverse!"
I sent so mana, and the dummy started "falling" up .
But after leaving the field it went up only a little before falling down.
After entering the field again, it started slowing then falling up again.
"Haa...haa. "
But eventually, I got exhausted and couldn’t keep this anymore.
I stopped my mana and opened my eyes.
The dummy fell in the ground with a loud *Baam!*
The first ti, I created more gravity to crush the dummy, but the second was different.
I manipulated it, causing it to affect the field in the opposite direction.
It was a little harder and could exhaust ntally, but the mana consumption was much lower.
Soone with water affinity can manipulate rivers and oceans, soone with earth affinity could move mountains.
But unfortunately, I could barely reverse the gravity currently.
The space was the hardest affinity to control under the unique affinities. It was also the rarest one in the rare category, this ans when I go to the academy where all the spells are stored, I won’t find many space spells there. I will have to make so myself to suit my style.
So, why didn’t I get the advanced spells from the internet instead of waiting for the academy?
According to Alfred, the academy made sure that the advanced spells wouldn’t get leaked. Because soone may learn them then join the Dark Order before the academy, growing into a potential threat early.
That was also the sa case for the artifacts.
So I will have to wait unless I knew soone working in the academy or could teach personally.
*BOOM!*
I shifted my gaze far away, Aria and Zephyr were having a spar while Alfred was watching them.
They both had tier 3 aura core now, while only Aria had tier 3 mana core .
We found out that Zephyr’s eclipse can’t devour divine magic so he wanted to fight her.
He was using his soul-bound scythe’s effects unlike my fight. The first effect was devouring the mana of the spells it cuts to beco stronger temporarily, while the second effect allows it to release all the remaining power into reddish black Eclipse slash.
Unfortunately he was fighting Aria.
She was using the wind and lighting only to increase her speed and dodge while using her divine affinity for the attacks .
From summoning divine projectiles like swords to shooting beams. She didn’t hold back. After all, Alfred would save Zephyr if he was in danger.
While Zephyr was trying his best to get close to her but couldn’t.
His affinity was causing the surrounding to decay slowly while he was trying to use all types of attacks to catch her off guard.
Suddenly, he tried to make reddish dark spikes under her but she jumped and started walking in the air.
Every ti she tried to take a step, a green platform would appear under her foot.
’I should ask her to teach this before she goes to the academy.’
I compared them to my poor control over both mana and aura, and I was... disappointed.
If there were no other reincarnators, that would an only I knew that the demons would win.
’I must find a way to get stronger rapidly in the academy.’
I practiced my control for a little more until my mana beca empty, then started using my ditation technique to refill my mana pool faster.
Most people would need an hour to refill their mana naturally. With the ditation technique they could refill it in 30 minutes.
But thanks to my fast recovery trait, I only needed 28 minutes.
It may not look much, but I was only tier 2 Exalted. The more I breakthrough the stronger my traits would beco, that’s also why despite having multiple trait effects most of them were barely visible.
I had potential, but I needed ti.
And from reading all those novels, I was sure that I could have anything but ti.
After filling my mana, I kept ditating for a while. I felt my mana core getting refined by the additional mana. It was a slow process but the improvent was there.
That was how to breakthrough as an Exalted, just like the aura, you either find mana core —which could also be found in so monsters— or keep ditating until you make it .
But that option was slow as hell. Aria had a soul weapon that increases mana control, perfect mana control talent and a physique that despite not knowing all its effects we were sure of its magical properties, but despite all that, she took 4 years to reach tier 3.
She could have reached that tier earlier if she only focused on ditating, but she had to also cultivate.
An exalted can’t have his mana core 2 tiers higher than his aura core. If I ever tried to break through to tier 4 while my aura core was only tier 2, my mana core would explode in the worst case .
The current theory was that you need a stronger soul and mind to endure the pressure of the mana which both get stronger after the aura breakthrough, but it’s not confird yet .
The Eldorians aren’t even completely sure if the soul exists. The soul-bound artifacts actually have different nas in other races. The orcs for example call them the true will.
Well, I was 90% sure the souls exist after my reincarnation. The other 10% was that my mories were fake and there was soone manipulating .
Anyway, my main focus now should be improving my control and creating a good cultivation technique. I read and morized many techniques that I could use as a reference, so I only needed ti.
I trained for so ti before Aria called to sleep.
Alfred was carrying the unconscious Zephyr, despite having an overpowered affinity he still lost against his natural counter.
’I have to rember this. Fortunately, I have 3 affinities, it’s hard to find soone that could counter all of them, but that also an I can’t specialize in only one of them.’
My gaze shifted to Cel .
"Give Silva?"
"Can’t I have her only tonight? Please."
She begged with her wide round eyes, she gave the type of look that puppies give while asking for food .
"No" I said coldly, I was immune to that shit.
She handed Silva while murmuring:
"Possessive."
Ignoring her, I put Silva on my head and followed Aria.
At the bed I noticed that the now glowing Silva looked a little ....sad ?
I whispered to her: "What’s wrong? Do you want to be with Cel? You can go to her if you want."
Silva shook her head and jumped to Aria’s lap.
I sighed and decided to see this problem the next day. I was barely able to open my eyes.
I closed my eyes, giving up to exhaustion.
The darkness swallowed my mind.
...
".....!"
A chill ran down my spine.
My eyes opened wide, the Night Terror covered all my body and the BlackHail appeared in my hand.
It was my first ti feeling this, but I knew instinctively what it was .
’Danger sense!’
I made a lightning barrier that surrounded and Aria and channeled my aura through all my body .
"Aria, WAKE UP NOW!"
"Wh—!"
I didn’t wait for her to process what was happening and shifted my gaze to what activated my danger sense.
It was...
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