After he talked to her, Leo left the Mission Hall. He knew that time was of the essence, and he wasted no moment in getting to the library. With a resolute stride, he left the bustling building behind and made his way toward it.
The grand entrance of the library loomed before him. Leo pushed open the heavy doors, stepping into the hallowed halls of academia. The scent of old books and the soft whispers of studious patrons enveloped him.
He quickly arrived at the counter in front of the staircase leading to the second floor. The student at the desk glanced up and met his gaze with a welcoming smile.
“Good afternoon,” the student greeted him. “How may I assist you today?”
“I’m trying to go to the 2nd Floor,” he replied.
“Can I have your card, please?” She held out her hand.
He gave it to her and got a response.
“Thanks,” he said. He wasted no time in going up the stairs.
The minute he got to the second floor, he navigated the library’s vast collection with precision and purpose. He quickly got to where he wanted to be. It was the section of the library with Aura Techniques.
As he walked to the section with the books he wanted, he noticed that the floor had a considerable number of people compared to the first floor when he had been there. He guessed it was because 2nd-year students had a higher number of points to splurge.
As he perused the selection, his eyes widened with wonder at the sheer breadth and depth of the library’s offerings. There were books on aura techniques for every possible person regardless of the weapon. He used the dagger so he looked for techniques that would help him there.
With each carefully chosen book placed in his hands, Leo felt a surge of anticipation. He knew that these books had the potential to give him the perfect aura technique. He found a secluded corner of the library, a haven where he could immerse himself in the books he found.
As he settled into a comfortable chair, surrounded by the scent of aged parchment and the gentle hush of pages turning, Leo started reading. His fingers traced the words on the pages, his mind absorbing the techniques contained within.
After an hour, he put the books back in their place except one. It was the aura technique he had chosen.
[Obsidian Blade]
[The user materializes solid constructs of shadow energy in the form of sharp blades. They wield these shadow blades with deadly precision and finesse, delivering swift and precise strikes to their enemies. The blades can slice through armor and defenses, leaving lingering wounds that drain the target’s aura energy over time.]
There were two reasons why he picked this technique. The first reason was that he would no longer have to depend on his blade at all to fight with aura. He could just construct his own blades with aura.
The second reason was what the tradeoff was. Since he would need to construct a blade from scratch with aura, it would use a lot of aura if he wanted to have multiple blades. On top of that, he would need more aura to throw the blades at opponents without allowing the aura to dissipate.
This heavy aura expenditure would make the aura technique essentially unusable for any normal 2nd Circle Aura Knight. However, that wasn’t the case for him. He had more than 4-5 times the amount of aura that normal people had. He could easily take advantage of the power the technique offered while not worrying too much about the aura expenditure.
After he looked at the book and memorized it completely, he went to the next section. He only had 3 and a half hours left to find 2 more aura techniques for himself.
He found the next one in only 30 minutes.
[Shadow Barrier]
[The user can create a large, dome-shaped shield made of swirling shadows. The shield encompasses a small area, providing protection not only to the user but also to nearby allies. The Shadow Barrier absorbs and disperses incoming attacks, ensuring the safety of those within its boundaries]
He picked this one because it also used slightly more aura than normal for a better shield. He put the book to the side and went to look for the last one.
This time, he was looking for a movement technique. But he quickly got to a hurdle. It was incredibly hard for him to find a movement technique that used the shadow element.
He was very surprised when he saw that but realized why. Even while looking for the other techniques he noticed that there were a lot fewer techniques that used shadows than other ones. He noticed there were other elements that were also rare.
He saw very few techniques that used light or dark elements.
But after searching for a while, he finally found a suitable technique. It was the only shadow-attributed movement technique he could find in the entire library.
[Shadow Trail]
[This technique leaves behind a fleeting shadow trail as the user moves, momentarily preserving their image in the form of a shadowy afterimage. The trail confuses opponents and disrupts their tracking, making it harder for them to anticipate the user’s next move. It can be utilized strategically to create illusions and mislead adversaries.]
The technique was very similar to the Shadow Step, so he wasn’t too worried about learning it. He would need to spend the least amount of time on that technique.
Once he got the three techniques, he got ready to leave. Before leaving, he made sure to properly memorize each technique. He didn’t like that he couldn’t take it along with him, but it also kept the book inside the library at all times. He wouldn’t need to worry about it being somewhere else if he came back to refer to it again.
After carefully reviewing the aura techniques he had learned, he left the library. As he made his way back to his dorm, the academy seemed to blur around him, his mind consumed by thoughts of the aura techniques. He went straight to his room so that he could start training.
Upon reaching his room, he closed the door behind him, shutting out the outside world to focus solely on his training. Since he had the aura techniques fresh in his mind, he started with that.
He wanted to train in the defensive technique first since he would need it more. It would have helped him immensely in the fight against Melissa. He could have used a real aura technique to defend the blast instead of just coating his body with aura.
Positioning himself in the center of his room, Leo took a deep breath, steadying his mind and body. Leo began to channel his aura, feeling it flow through his veins like a pulsating current. With each breath, he visualized a shield of darkness materializing around him, forming a protective barrier against any incoming attacks.
He didn’t succeed in his first attempt, but he tried without any signs of losing the blaze in his eyes. He was already prepared for it to be a very long night.