Just like that, the week passed without me doing anything else aside from my training. Since there was nothing that I could do for the time being and my strength was still insufficient, I needed to make sure I had practiced enough.
And today marked the end of the training mixture I had been using all this time. Since its effects would only be optimal for two weeks, at this point, using it more would damage me. Therefore, this was it.
“Huff….Huff…” Inside the training grounds of the academy, I was breathing heavily. I had just finished my physical workout, and since I had worked my body to its limits, everywhere around my body was aching.
‘My strength certainly improved. It seems the Vitalium Essence was doing its work.’
With it increasing the limits of my bodily attributes, I could finally improve my strength and my endurance.
‘Status.’ I thought inside my head, and following that, a panel appeared.
—————————————
?Attributes:
Variable Attributes:
-? Strength: 1.6 –> 1.71
-? Dexterity: 2.216 –>2.32
-? Agility: 2.12 –> 2.23
-? Constitution:? 1.524 –> 1.62
-? Intuition: 2.3 –> 2.4
-? Magical Power: 2.6
-? Mana Capacity: 1.8
—————————————-
As could be seen from the stats shown there, my attributes increased quite a lot. This was both because of my strict training but also because of the effects of Vitalium Essence.
Aside from increasing one’s talent cap, it also increases the smoothness of one’s attribute increase. In a way, that meant one could adapt strength faster, and they could integrate themselves better into training if it made sense.
“Hey. Can we talk a bit?”
Just as I was about to leave the training grounds, suddenly, I heard a familiar voice coming from my back. I had already sensed his presence, but I thought his intent was not directed at me.
Turning back, I saw the person who was looking at me with sharp hazel eyes. His wavy blue hair was filled with sweat, showing that he was also training there.
His spear was tucked behind his back. He was looking at me with an expression of seriousness.
It was Ethan, our main character in the game.
Looking at him like that, it was obvious why he would associate himself with me randomly. The reason was the events that had transpired at the close combat lesson.
“I don’t think what you have done at that time was the right choice.” He spoke, his gaze looking at me with a clear brightness. It made me want to vomit.
This guy here was still living in the bright world he was envisioning.
“You should have respected her choices. Are you happy now that she cried?” Ethan asked me, with his gaze concerned.
He certainly was not in the wrong since what he was saying was certainly a more humanistic approach.
“Couldn’t you be a lit-”
But that didn’t mean I needed to listen to other people lecturing me.
“Don’t talk to me,” I answered, cutting his words off. I did not believe that by being respectful and gentle, you could live in this world.
Since it reminded me of certain someone, the same picture flashed before my eyes as I remembered the claws that were piercing her chest.
CLENCH
Feeling the frustration growing in my heart, I knew it was not the time to be like that.
“What?”
“Don’t talk to me again.” With those words, I left the dumbfounded Ethan, making my way toward my room.
My body was already aching, and I was both tired mentally and physically. Thus, I did not want to deal with a knight in shining armor.
Just like that, I reached my room and immediately went to have a bath filled with the special herbs that I had bought with my money.
For now, the money I had on myself for the investment is enough. Right now, I could leave the academy and look for hunting, but I also needed to increase my training and make the most of the academy, so everything needed to be in balance.
After leaving the bath, I sat on my bed and started reading the book ‘Moonstruck Convergence: A Tale of Celestial Mana.’
To be honest, even though the book had a fascinating name, I was not expecting much to find from the book. However, I was gravely mistaken.
The reason was not because the book taught me how to use my mana. Mana was not something that could easily be used and mastered. It was something complex, and it required a good amount of training and practice to master it.
However, the book gave me one invaluable insight into my mana – the ability to discern its colors. As you may already know, the moon had different phases, and much like the moon’s phases, my mana resonated with varying shades and hues. It was as if the moon’s influence was imprinted upon my very essence.
The book, its pages worn and ancient, described the unique colors of mana associated with each moon phase, unraveling the mysteries that tied my abilities to the celestial rhythms:
Blood Moon:
The Blood Moon, a harbinger of vitality and aggression, stirred within me a fierce bloodlust, a craving for action and conquest that resonated in both its name and the deep red color of its mana.
With each instance, the crimson energy appeared on my dagger; I found my very essence surging with the desire to battle. Strangely, I noticed that the more wounded I became, the more potent the red mana grew. It was as if the moon’s call intensified as my own strength waned, granting me a surge of power when I needed it most.
Harvest Moon:
The Harvest Moon’s gentle elegance embodied the culmination of effort and abundance, an essence reflected in the subdued gray-colored mana associated with it. Although I hadn’t fully explored its potential, I sensed that this mana bestowed upon me swiftness, enhancing my speed with each successive attack. The true depths of this mana’s abilities remained shrouded in mystery, waiting for me to uncover its secrets.
Crescent Moon:
Transition, potential, and the flow of energy were embodied by the Crescent Moon, its vibrant green hue a symbol of its power. Though I had yet to grasp the extent of its effects, I recalled the tendrils I had seen during its activation, tendrils colored in the same verdant shade. It was as though this mana resonated with a profound yet uncharted aspect of my abilities.
Those three were the ones that I had observed while using my mana so far, but there was two more other colored mana shown in the book.
New Moon:
The New Moon, a void of darkness, was aligned with the colors black and purple. Symbolic of mystery and the unknown, it invited me to delve into realms unseen. The power it held remained elusive, and while I never dared draw upon the sun’s energy, I could only speculate about the potential locked within the black and purple mana. Its effects were a riddle, one I hoped to unravel in due time.
Solar Eclipse:
This page of the book was the one that didn’t contain almost any information at all. Aside from the color of golden and blue, there was nothing else that could be seen. But, at the same time, it felt like something had erased what was written here.
However, the fact that this section was put in this book was enough to show that something about the sun was there.
‘My mana is the mana of the moon, and I hadn’t felt strong under the sunlight.’ I thought to myself.
Since my affinity with the moon’s influence meant I would never draw power from the sun, I thought it wouldn’t be possible, but something was deep in my head. Despite this limitation, my mind wandered to what might be possible.
‘Maybe it is the imitation of the sun’s characteristics with the power of the moon?’ I asked myself. Certainly, the sun was powerful and shone brightly.
From the moon’s perspective, what would the sun look like?
‘It must look like a fire.’ I thought. Whenever I looked at the sun, I always thought it was related to flames.
“Still. It is too early to jump to conclusions.” I mumbled. Since I had yet to understand how to use a specific type of mana, I couldn’t confirm anything.
But at the very least, I knew I had an idea about what to do, and that was something.
Just like that, I closed the book and laid on my bed. It was time to rest since tomorrow was going to be the day of club applications.
******
Waking up early in the morning, the first thing I did was start running before breakfast.
And I was not the only one doing that, as I could see some seniors and first-years doing the same thing.
But I simply ignored them and started running while racking my brain.
Today would be the day when the clubs would be accessible to the freshmen. The clubs had a wide range of activities ranging from combat to art section.
And I was pondering about which one I needed to join.
Ethan was going to join the Spear Legacy Club and Adventure Explorers Club for sure.
Julia would also join this club since she was a girl that liked to wander around. And because of Julia, Victor would also join, and then following him, Irina would do the same.
That simply meant four people from the main cast would be there, which would certainly get more and more attention.
‘Should I join or not?’ I pondered. The reason why I wanted to was pretty simple. In the game, there were demon contractors appearing with each trip this group had taken. It was because the game developers used this club for the sake of describing the open world.
‘I will.’ However, since there were demon contractors constantly appearing in this club, they would eventually lead me to demons. There were even some that escaped from the hands of the player, which I would certainly not miss.
That was the first club I was going to join.
‘The second one should definitely be the one that Sylvie joins.’ I thought.
The reason was simple. Since the demons would constantly target the future Saintess thanks to her power, which meant Sylvie was a magnet that constantly attracted their attention.
In fact, in the game, the club that had the most side-story events was the one Sylvie had joined. 𝑂𝚟xt.𝒞𝓞𝐦
‘History and Art Guild.’ I thought.
The name had a guild in it, but it was nothing serious as they were simply a community that liked to talk about history. However, this guild, for some reason, also traveled quite frequently and wandered around the Valerian Federation, looking at the buildings of the past.
Their main goal was to explore the buildings that were left from the period when mana had nonexistent, basically the pre-mana period.
I didn’t know why Sylvie joined that club, but I didn’t need to know about that either.
‘And the last one should be the Archery Club.’ I thought.
As the name suggested, since I was an archer making some other connections would also help me since the instructor of that club, Mr. Ethan, was the one that had invited me.
He said he wanted to see my growth, and I was free to join the club if I wanted, and that offer was pretty good considering I was fairly new with the bow.
These three clubs were the ones that I wanted to join since the others didn’t get my attention too much. I did not have time to simply waste on the clubs constantly; therefore, the fewer clubs I joined, the better it would be.
Just like that, I finished my run with those thoughts in my head and returned to my dorm. Today’s first class was once again the class of that annoying woman, so I must not be late…..
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You can check my discord if you want. You can see the illustrations of characters there.
The link to the discord server is in the description of the book.