Synopsis and Starting Chapter Chapter 1: The Light At The End Of The Tunnel
Chapter 2: The Encyclopedia Of Mana Manipulation
Chapter 3: Head Start
Chapter 4: My Life Now
Chapter 5: Let The Journey Begin
Chapter 6: Up The Mountain
Chapter 7: How I Wished
Chapter 8: Questions
Chapter 9: Ones Held Dear
Chapter 10: Road Ahead
Chapter 11: To And Fro
Chapter 12: Meeting
Chapter 13: Q & A
Chapter 14: What’S To Come
Chapter 15: The Other Side
Chapter 16: Next Step
Chapter 17: Companion
Chapter 18: Family
Chapter 19: Peaceful
Chapter 20: Proclamation
Chapter 21: Everybody Wins
Chapter 22: For Them
Chapter 23: Royalty
Chapter 24: Auction
Chapter 25: Aftermath
Chapter 26: Partners In Crime
Chapter 27: Worth Fighting For
Chapter 28: Examination
Chapter 29: Changes In Dicathen
Chapter 30: Sword And Body
Chapter 31: Last Leg
Chapter 32: Dire Tombs
Chapter 33: Dire Tombs Ii
Chapter 34: Dire Tombs Iii
Chapter 35: Rash Actions And Limits
Chapter 36: Precautions
Chapter 37: A Son, Brother, And Friend
Chapter 38: In The Meantime
Chapter 39: Introspection
Chapter 40: New Winds
Chapter 41: I’M Not That Nice
Chapter 42: A Ball
Chapter 43: A Ball Ii
Chapter 44: Xyrus Academy
Chapter 45: You Dare?
Chapter 46: Not Quite As Planned
Chapter 47: Wiser Than The Wise
Chapter 48: Attention
Chapter 49: Reminisce
Chapter 50: Disciplinary Committee
Chapter 51: Classes And Professors
Chapter 52: Classes And Professors Ii
Chapter 53: Classes And Professors Iii
Chapter 54: It’S A Pleasure
Chapter 55: Match Start
Chapter 56: This Is Going To Hurt
Chapter 57: Family Gathering
Chapter 58: Feelings And Old Memories
Chapter 59: First Day On The Job
Chapter 60: Confrontation
Chapter 61: Romantic Idiot
Chapter 62: My Team
Chapter 63: Baby Steps
Chapter 64: Field Trip
Chapter 65: Widow’S Crypt
Chapter 66: Widow’S Crypt Ii
Chapter 67: Widow’S Crypt Iii
Chapter 68: Widow’S Crypt Iv
Chapter 69: Widow’S Crypt V
Chapter 70: An Unfamiliar Burden
Chapter 71: Evolving
Chapter 72: A Confusing Day
Chapter 73: One Fallen
Chapter 74: A Will’S Last Breath
Chapter 75: Order Of Power
Chapter 76: Manifest Destinies
Chapter 77: Good To See You
Chapter 78: Allies?
Chapter 79: Meanwhile
Chapter 80: Meanwhile Ii
Chapter 81: Meanwhile Iii
Chapter 82: At Last
Chapter 83: Benefactor
Chapter 84: A Greater Scale
Chapter 85: Lineage
Chapter 86: Elven Kingdom
Chapter 87: Winding Down
Chapter 88: A Will’S Unwillingness
Chapter 89: A Stroll
Chapter 90: A Cursed Blessing
Chapter 91: The Start
Chapter 92: Collapse Of Xyrus
Chapter 92: Bird’S Cage
Chapter 93: Chosen Ones
Chapter 94: Arrival
Chapter 95: The Calm Before
Chapter 96: The Storm
Chapter 97: Outcome
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
Chapter 128
Chapter 129
Chapter 130
Chapter 131
Chapter 132
Chapter 133
Chapter 134
Chapter 135
Chapter 136
Chapter 137
Chapter 138
Chapter 139
Chapter 140
Chapter 141
Chapter 142
Chapter 143
Chapter 144
Chapter 145
Chapter 146
Chapter 147
Chapter 148
Chapter 149
Chapter 150
Chapter 151
Chapter 152
Chapter 153
Chapter 154
Chapter 155
Chapter 156
Chapter 157
Chapter 158
Chapter 159
Chapter 160
Chapter 161
Chapter 162
Chapter 163
Chapter 164
Chapter 165
Chapter 166
Chapter 167
Chapter 168
Chapter 169
Chapter 170
Chapter 171
Chapter 172
Chapter 173
Chapter 174
Chapter 175
Chapter 176
Chapter 177
Chapter 178
Chapter 179
Chapter 180
Chapter 181
Chapter 182
Chapter 183
Chapter 184
Chapter 185
Chapter 186
Chapter 187
Chapter 188
Chapter 189
Chapter 190
Chapter 191
Chapter 192
Chapter 193
Chapter 194
Chapter 195
Chapter 196
Chapter 197
Chapter 198
Chapter 199
Chapter 200
Chapter 201
Chapter 202
Chapter 203
Chapter 204
Chapter 205
Chapter 206
Chapter 207
Chapter 208
Chapter 209
Chapter 210
Chapter 211
Chapter 212
Chapter 213
Chapter 214
Chapter 215
Chapter 216
Chapter 217
Chapter 218
Chapter 219
Chapter 220
Chapter 221
Chapter 222
Chapter 223
Chapter 224
Chapter 225
Chapter 226
Chapter 227
Chapter 228
Chapter 229
Chapter 230
Chapter 231
Chapter 232
Chapter 233
Chapter 234
Chapter 235
Chapter 236
Chapter 237
Chapter 238
Chapter 239
Chapter 240
Chapter 241
Chapter 242
Chapter 243
Chapter 244
Chapter 245
Chapter 246
Chapter 247
Chapter 248
Chapter 249
Chapter 250
Chapter 251
Chapter 252
Chapter 253
Chapter 254
Chapter 255
Chapter 256
Chapter 257
Chapter 258
Chapter 259
Chapter 260
Chapter 261
Chapter 262
Chapter 263
Chapter 264
Chapter 265
Chapter 266
Chapter 267
Chapter 268
Chapter 269
Chapter 270
Chapter 271
Chapter 272
Chapter 273
Chapter 274
Chapter 275
Chapter 276
Chapter 277
Chapter 278
Chapter 279
Chapter 280
Chapter 281
Chapter 282
Chapter 283
Chapter 284
Chapter 285
Chapter 286
Chapter 287
Chapter 288
Chapter 289
Chapter 290
Chapter 291
Chapter 292
Chapter 293
Chapter 294
Chapter 295
Chapter 296
Chapter 297
Chapter 298
Chapter 299
Chapter 300
Chapter 301
Chapter 302
Chapter 303
Chapter 304
Chapter 305
Chapter 306
Chapter 307
Chapter 308
Chapter 309
Chapter 310
Chapter 311
Chapter 312
Chapter 313
Chapter 314
Chapter 315
Chapter 316
Chapter 317
Chapter 318
Chapter 319
Chapter 320
Chapter 321
Chapter 322: Echoes Of Accusations
Chapter 323
Chapter 324
Chapter 325 Painless
Chapter 326 Backlash
Chapter 327 Enough For Now
Chapter 328 Face To Face
Chapter 329: A Plea For Help
Chapter 330
Chapter 331: The Trial
Chapter 332: Broken Chains
Chapter 333: Attention
Chapter 334: Last Mercy
Chapter 335: Haunting Peace
Chapter 336: Protection
Chapter 337: Layers
Chapter 338 A Weapon Against Him
Chapter 339 The Central Dominion
Chapter 340 Burden And Stakes
Chapter 341 Ashes And Dust
Chapter 342 Duality
Chapter 343 Professor Princess
Chapter 344 Eyes Locked
Chapter 345 Socialite
Chapter 346 A Dim Spark
Chapter 347 A Stroll With Gods
Chapter 348 Melee Enhancement Tactics
Chapter 349: Hope And Lies
Chapter 350: Colleagues
Chapter 351: Minimally Catastrophic
Chapter 352: Relic, Revived
Chapter 353: Paradigm Shift
Chapter 354: Somewhat Teaching
Chapter 355: Just His Name
Chapter 356: Closure
Chapter 357: Blood Relic
Chapter 358
Chapter 359
Chapter 360
Chapter 361: The Second Ruin
Chapter 362: Fate Intertwined
Chapter 363
Chapter 364
Chapter 365
Chapter 366
Chapter 367
Chapter 368
Chapter 369
Chapter 370
Chapter 371
Chapter 372
Chapter 373
Chapter 374
Chapter 374.5
Chapter 375
Chapter 376
Chapter 377
Chapter 378
Chapter 379
Chapter 380
Chapter 381
Chapter 382
Chapter 383
Chapter 384
Chapter 385
Chapter 386
Chapter 387
Chapter 388
Chapter 389
Chapter 390
Chapter 391
Chapter 392
Chapter 393
Chapter 394
Chapter 395
Chapter 396
Chapter 397
Chapter 398
Chapter 399
Chapter 400
Chapter 401
Chapter 402
Chapter 403
Chapter 404
Chapter 405
Chapter 406
Chapter 407
Chapter 408
Chapter 409
Chapter 410
Chapter 411
Chapter 412
Chapter 413
Chapter 414
Chapter 415
Chapter 416
Chapter 417
Chapter 418
Chapter 419: One Of Mine
Chapter 420: Shackles
Chapter 421: Black Doors
Chapter 422: Black Doors Ii
Chapter 423: One Last Ruin
Chapter 424: Through The Djinn’S Eyes
Chapter 425: Unexpected Visitor
Chapter 426: Changing The Narrative
Chapter 427: Amends
Chapter 428: Hoping
Chapter 429: A Dream Yet To Happen
Chapter 430 Opposition
Chapter 431 Time
Chapter 432 Overdue
Chapter 433 Respect And Regards
Chapter 434 Fellowship Forged
Chapter 435 Entourage
Chapter 436 Obscured
Chapter 437 Scales Of Understanding
Chapter 438 A Broken Path
Chapter 439 Holding Ground
Chapter 440 A Loose Idea
Chapter 441 The Message
Chapter 442 A Snapped Thread
Chapter 443 Horns Of Exeges
Chapter 444 A Sword Struck
Chapter 445 The Truth Of Power
Chapter 446 Scarred
Chapter 447 A Certain State In Time
Chapter 448
Chapter 449
Chapter 450
Chapter 451
Chapter 452
Chapter 453
Chapter 454
Chapter 455
Chapter 456
Chapter 458
Chapter 457: Equivalent Exchange
Chapter 459
Chapter 460
Chapter 461
Chapter 462
Chapter 463
Chapter 464
Chapter 465
Chapter 466
Chapter 467
Chapter 468
Chapter 469
Chapter 470
Chapter 471
Chapter 472
Chapter 473
Chapter 474
Chapter 475
Chapter 476
Chapter 477
Chapter 478
Chapter 479
Chapter 480
Chapter 481
Chapter 482
Categories Genre: All, Fantasy, Martial, Ongoing Status: Ongoing ______
Total Chapters in book: 485
Estimated words: 1771831 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 8859(@200wpm)___ 7087(@250wpm)___ 5906(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 1771831 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 8859(@200wpm)___ 7087(@250wpm)___ 5906(@300wpm)
______
LIST OF LAST 10 CHAPTERS:
Page No. 485 Page No. 484 Page No. 483 Page No. 482 Page No. 481 Page No. 480 Page No. 479 Page No. 478 Page No. 477 Page No. 476 Page No. 475 Chapter 30: Sword And Body
Sylvie let out an excited chirp at the idea of exploring a dungeon but I remained silent, staring at the two swords strapped to the back of my waist.
Today’s battle with Kaspian confirmed a lot of things for me. I’d spent too much time adjusting to and learning this world’s magic system. Assimilating with Sylvia’s Beast Will, honing my Lightning and Ice Attribute techniques along with all of the other elements. I had been so engrossed in the fact that this world made it capable of actually producing physical manifestations of elements that I neglected my foundations, the very thing I was best at, which was physical combat.
In my past life, I had used the simplest techniques to utilize the most of my meager ki pool. With that and my sword, I had been able to rise to the top. Dicathen offered so many more possibilities but if I was to truly excel and become the best in this world, I was going to have to not only use my gifts in this life, but my experiences from my previous life.
In the midst of my thoughts, I felt someone bump past my shoulder. Looking up, I caught sight of the blond noble named Lucas strutting past me amongst his entourage of guards and servants.
"You’re not bad for an augmenter, but that’s all you are. Don’t get cocky because we happen to be in the same class. Even in the same ranks there are levels, and you would be at the bottom. Know your place, commoner!" Lucas spat venomously. The blond boy let out a smirk while intentionally leaning his head back so he could look down on me. The fact that his height was a fair bit shorter than mine just made him look silly.
What cliché behavior for an annoying side character.
Not bothering to argue with him, I just faced back to Jasmine. "Let’s go to the portal."
________________________________________
Crossing through the teleportation gate, my senses jolted from the scenery. The City of Xyrus had the most teleportation gates among the cities since they were the only way one could enter it, it being a floating city and all. The one we crossed led us directly to the front entrance of the area known as the Beast Glades.
The chirps of birds, occasional cries and roars of beasts, and the constant sound of water flowing filling the background all created an enticing symphony of nature. The sight of tall trees and numerous hills covered in various plants and shrubs made it hard to believe that this beautiful landscape was filled with magical beasts capable of killing even the strongest mages. However, because of abundances of natural resources on the outskirts, it was mostly only the lower rank beasts that inhabited this area.The deeper an adventurer traversed, the more mysterious and treacherous the landscape turned, filled with the lairs of powerful beasts that have amassed their treasures and power in the solitudes of unexplored regions in the Beast Glades.
I took a sip of the crisp air as Jasmine arrived behind me through the teleportation gate when, suddenly, Sylvie hopped off my head and scurried off.
"Wait, Sylv! Where are you going?" I called after her, dumbfounded.
Sylvie transmitted a vague response; I could feel her emotions of excitement as she sent out thoughts about her plans to train as well.
The fact that my bond had never left my side ever since she had hatched until now filled me with unease, but after realizing that I was able to sense her whereabouts, I calmed down.
"She’ll be okay. Mana beasts have a natural instinct to grow stronger. She must’ve felt very suffocated being in a sheltered environment all of her life," Jasmine explained, walking next to me.
Putting her hand on my shoulder, she signaled for us to start moving. "There’s a place I wish to visit first before going to a dungeon. We have to hurry though; it gets a little more dangerous at night."
Willing mana into her body, Jasmine bolted off into the distance, her wind attribute mana propelling her even faster.
I followed after her, forming two gales of wind below my feet as I dashed after her. I made sure to keep tabs on Sylvie but it wasn’t much of a problem since both she and I were mentally linked. Even as the distance grew between us, the connection remained strong, and I was able to sense that Sylvie was catching small prey, her ecstatic mood affecting me as well.
The journey lasted a few hours and it began to grow dark. The only reason I had been able to keep up with Jasmine, even when she was at dark yellow stage, was thanks to the use of mana rotation throughout the way. This skill had become almost second nature to me now as I utilized it unconsciously whenever I exerted mana.
By late evening, we had cleared through a dense forest and arrived at a small clearing. Surrounded by trees, there was a small field of grass with a stream of clear water flowing through it.
"We’ll camp out here for a few days," Jasmine announced as she set down her bag and took out a couple of items.
"Weren’t we going to a dungeon right away?" I set down my bag as well.
She simply shook her head, picking up a few branches of wood and gathering them together.
I went into the forest, finding some decent-sized branches to make a fire with. After a bit, we had a fire crackling and popping in the middle of our camp. Making myself comfortable, I removed my mask and sat silently by her, next to the fire.
Trying to break the silence, I asked Jasmine, "What made you want to become an adventurer?"
"..."
Her gaze never left the fire and after a few minutes of more awkward silence, I just stared back at the flame, assuming she didn’t want to answer.
"I wanted to get away from my family." I almost missed what she said from how quietly she spoke amidst the wood of the fire snapping fiercely.
"I see... were you on bad terms with your family?" I responded, my eyes focused on the fire.
"..."
"The Flamesworth House was a major contributor to the war against the elves. Our house has provided many powerful mages, both conjurers and augmenters. Our lineage in the fire attribute element was second to none. We took great pride in this, because fire is considered to be the most powerful of the elements," she stated monotonously.
Despite her short sentences, this had been the most Jasmine had talked in one sitting.
"But Jasmine, aren’t you a..." I looked up at her as she nodded in response.
"Since early on, when I had first awakened and started training, my family tried to test my mana for fire affinity. I went through various tests so they could see how my mana was exerted and how it flowed through my mana channels." She took a pause and poked at the fire before continuing on. "When it was made clear that I had no aptitude for the fire attribute, my family regarded me as lesser."
"..."
I didn’t know how to respond to her. For the first time, the always aloof and cold Jasmine seemed...vulnerable.
"I’m sorry for what happened..." was the only response I managed to utter.
Shaking her head, she gave me a faint smile. "The Twin Horns have treated me well and I don’t dislike what I am."
I glanced at her palm as Jasmine formed a small swirl of wind, different emotions running through her face as she peered at her hand.
This world was a place of discrimination and classification. The hierarchical roots imbedded into this land would never truly disappear. Normal humans were considered second-rate people, while even amongst mages, augmenters were discriminated against by conjurers. It went further than that where, unless one was a deviant or a dual element specialist, some elements were considered "higher class" than others.
Being born from a family of powerful fire attribute mages, she was discarded as inferior because of the elemental attribute she had; something that most mages would kill to acquire. She was a dark yellow augmenter skilled in fighting and mana manipulation at the ripe age of 24. Many would consider her a genius but from the standards she grew up with, she considered herself lesser.
We placed more wood to last through the coldest parts of the night and laid out our sleeping bags a few feet away so we could still feel the heat.
Laying down, I pried into my mind to feel Sylvie’s presence. She was a good distance away but I could tell she was safe. She sent me a thought of confirmation, saying not to worry and that I should stay safe as well.
Eyes closed, I waited to drift off when I heard Jasmine mumble something.
"...It’s weird. When I talk to you, it doesn’t feel like I’m talking to a child."
I didn’t respond. Pretending to be asleep, I hoped she wouldn’t push further for a reply.
_____________________________________________________________
"Good morning." Jasmine was up and cooking something over the fire by the time I had gotten up and out of my sleeping bag.
My stomach rumbled to remind me that I hadn’t eaten since yesterday afternoon as I looked hungrily at the skewered fishes being grilled on the fire.
"Good morning! You should’ve woken me up, Jasmine. There’s no need for you to do all of the chores on your own."
"...I tried waking you up... You wouldn’t budge." Her half-closed eyes that give off an apathetic stare regarded me with concern. "If I didn’t hear you breathing, I would’ve mistaken you for a corpse."
"Haha..." I let out an awkward chuckle. "I’m sorry, I really need to fix that."
After devouring the grilled fish for breakfast, we put out the fire. Using the nearby stream to wash myself and my clothes, I put on my mask and swords, assuming we’d go hunting for some mana beasts around the area, when Jasmine stopped me.
"Your opponent for these few days will be me."
"Huh?" I couldn’t help but be surprised at the turn of events. We came all the way here to spar?
"This area is close to the dungeon we will be exploring, but for these days, I want you to focus on fighting me. I noticed that your fighting style seems... awkward at times. Like, you know it in your head, but your body doesn’t listen to you... or something like that."
Unsheathing her two daggers, she pointed one at me, continuing, "We won’t use any kind of mana for these next few days while sparring."
I hadn’t expected Jasmine to catch on to what I had been worried about, but it was a good opportunity.
"Good idea," I replied, unsheathing my shortsword.
"Use your other sword..." Jasmine’s eyes flickered toward Dawn’s Ballad.
"How did you know this was a sword?" I wasn’t planning on hiding my weapon from her but I was still caught off guard.
"Knowing you, that black stick should be something more than just a cane or a practice stick," she shrugged, walking a few steps closer to me.
Giving her a confirming nod, I tossed the shortsword near the campfire.
As the sword soundlessly glided out from its scabbard, the translucent blade glowed a light teal as it reflected the sun’s strong rays.
Holding it out in front me, I positioned myself. "Ready when you are."
"Y-Yeah," Jasmine stuttered as her eyes remained glued to Dawn’s Ballad.
We dulled the edges of our weapons using mana before beginning. Without mana strengthening my body, I realized just how much I had been neglecting myself. After a few swings, my arms felt heavy and my legs trembled as they pushed feebly off the ground.
This was my mistake. I knew of the limits that my juvenile body had, but instead of trying to fix my shortcomings, I chose only to mask it using mana.
While magic in this world was capable of many things, it should be only used as a supplement to your abilities, not a replacement to cover them.
I lunged out with a sharp thrust aimed at Jasmine’s sternum. Even though our swords were coated to prevent fatal injuries, it would still leave bruises and even broken bones if taken lightly; this made the sparring experience much more intense and real.
Jasmine swung her two daggers down in an outward arc, parrying my lunge and knocking the blade of my sword into the ground.
I brought my rear foot forward to maintain balance as my teal blade sunk into the ground below her. However, by that time, Jasmine had already brought her daggers back into position to follow up with a quick, downward slash.
Prying out my sword, I immediately pivoted my body to the side to avoid the overhead slash. As her daggers grazed harmlessly past my loose shirt, I kicked her arm away and stepped away into a more comfortable distance.
My arms were burning from the quick, consecutive movements as I positioned my sword in a defensive stance.
"It’s my win," Jasmine said, sheathing her two daggers deftly into their scabbards attached to her thighs.
"You’re right," I laughed as I dropped Dawn’s Ballad on the ground. We had sparred for a little less than five minutes but my arms and legs screamed in protest from overuse. Massaging my forearms, I picked my blade back up and slid it back into its black sheath.
The duel had ended with me with the upper hand, but I didn’t have the strength to proceed. It was my loss.
"Hey Jasmine, I think I’m going to need more than a couple of days to work this out," I confessed with a chuckle.
Her lips curled up slightly as she nodded in agreement.
I had three years before I’d attend Xyrus Academy. During my time at school, I would have plenty of chances to focus on studying mana.
I knew what my priorities were at this time.
Making a rough calculation in my head, I held up two fingers. "Two years, Jasmine. I’ll dedicate two years to getting my body truly adjusted to sword-fighting without relying on mana."
"That’s it?" she said, surprised.
"Just watch," I smirked.
Total Chapters in book: 485
Estimated words: 1771831 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 8859(@200wpm)___ 7087(@250wpm)___ 5906(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 1771831 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 8859(@200wpm)___ 7087(@250wpm)___ 5906(@300wpm)
______