Chapter 86 Volume III - 7: First Phase of Ambiguous Flow

Chapter 86 Volume III - Chapter 7: First Phase of Ambiguous Flow

After giving my testimony, I headed to my room without any problems. Just as I was about to enter my door, a voice came from behind me.

"Aiden Tenebra, isn't it?"

There was a man, probably in his forties, holding a small, well-wrapped package in his hand. He was an ordinary courier, but one of the academy's specialized ones. He had a cold expression on his face.

"Yes, it's me?"

"This package is for you."

The man handed the package to me again coldly, matching the expression on his face.

I was a bit annoyed with him for his attitude, but I took it without saying anything and looked at it. Then, I suddenly remembered.

Really, the award I had chosen at the ceremony was due to arrive today.

I put a big smile on my face, opened the door to my room, and took my first step inside.

"Thank you."

I closed the door without waiting for a reaction from the man, he didn't seem to care anyway.

I quickly got on my bed and started to open the package.

After a while, there was a gray cube the size of my fist with blue runes engraved on it.

This cube was a skill cube, and after transferring mana to it, I would be able to obtain the skill engraved in it.

I quickly placed my hand on the cube and poured mana into it.

<<------------------------------

You are about to learn an active skill!

Skill: Mana Barrier (E --> A) It allows one to create a protective wall that will be as durable and long-lasting as the amount of mana transferred. The shape of the wall can be changed minimally with imagination.

The wall can be qualified as being made of solidified mana, but the amount of mana spent on it will increase.

Do you accept to learn the skill?

------------------------------>>

Without a second thought, I pressed yes and then I felt an intense flow of mana coming from the cube toward me.

Of course, I didn't reject this mana. On the contrary, I accepted it gladly and so the mana from the cube slowly spread all over my body. Then it retreated to the center of my chest and after a while the runes on the cube stopped glowing. Then the cube turned to dust and dissolved into the air.

<<------------------------------

Congratulations! You have learned the [Mana Barrier(E)] skill!

------------------------------>>

After the skill cube was completely destroyed, I quickly opened my stats window and couldn't help but grin when I saw Mana Barrier in the active skills section.

Now I'm really ready to go to that dungeon. I just need Alexander with me. Then I will have a sword that will last me a long time and a second mastery of magic.

Of course, there will also be the system's rewards for entering an unexplored dungeon. And since the academy is taking this week off to investigate the Justin thing, I have more free time than usual, which means I don't have to worry about time.

Could there be a better time to go to a dungeon? I don't think so.

With a huge smile on my face, I threw the cargo box in the trash and went back to my room.

Now that I had some free time... I could get started.

I opened my watch and went to the app that had recently been added to the home page.

I clicked on the style I had recently bought from the professor, 'Ambiguous Flow', and a large holographic screen opened in front of me. On the screen was the style's first guide catalog.

It is usually better to practice styles in one of the training rooms, but this style is not a 'normal' style.

The styles are usually in pieces. These parts can be phases, movements, levels, or something else, depending on what kind of style it is. Ambiguous Flow is no different, it's divided into parts called phases.

In other words, each phase can exist in a cycle with traces of the previous phase.

The difference is that, unlike most styles, I don't need a sword to start practicing the first phase of Ambiguous Flow. The first phase, and to a large extent even the second phase, is all about mana control, so I can practice it at home without any problems.

Of course, this is not a process that happens very quickly. The style is really challenging, it's hard to learn, but the rewards are enormous. In short, I'm not complaining. n0VeluSb.c0m

I started reading the guide for the first phase, focusing on the details, but I couldn't help but think about the game's producers.

There's not much information about the styles the player learns while playing the game. Only certain things are mentioned in certain scenes, so I can't just practice every style I want.

If there was more about the styles in the game other than the descriptions, I could have practiced more than one style at the same time...

I let out a deep sigh, slightly annoyed when I thought about it again.

Seriously, why did they just cover the styles with simple descriptions?

It's a big loss... a very big loss...

"Whatever."

I read through the first catalog of the guidebook a few more times, finally closing my watch.

First I got myself into a proper and comfortable position, and after I thought it would be okay, I closed my eyes and focused intently.

My aim was to slowly gather the mana in my body toward my chest and rotate it there.

I felt the random flow of mana through my body, interfering with its flow and pushing it in the direction I wanted it to go.

It was easy to direct the mana toward certain areas, like the limbs. Because all I had to do was to draw a sketchy path for it, but it was difficult to push it to a specific point in such a way that it flowed smoothly.

When my general level goes up, after a certain point, even if it's a long time away, it will be much easier. Because then the mana will not have a 'random' flow in my body, but for me, who is not even D- grade yet, this process is... quite laborious.

I could feel myself struggling, there was an unreasonable pressure in my mind and body. The mana inside my body resisted my directing it specifically, but I didn't give up. I kept collecting as much of the mana in my body as I could in a small spot on my chest.

When I thought I had at least reached a sufficient amount for training, I finally put aside this laborious task and focused on the mana I had collected, trying to rotate it within me.

I gradually increased the speed of the mana's rotation with each passing second, all the while reducing the volume of the mana gathered in my chest.

So I started to get a smaller and smaller amount of mana inside me, and the smaller it got, the faster it started spinning.

However, I didn't continue this for too long, the process was difficult and if I pushed myself too hard I could damage my body, so I stopped at the point where I was struggling too much, and this time I slowly pushed the mana toward my fingers.

When the mana was in my chest, even though I was struggling, I didn't feel like I was under an extremely heavy load. It felt controllable... but when I moved this mana, which had become quite wild, that's when I really felt the weight of the process.

It was not easy to contain the mana that was running wild in the first place. To move it while doing so was a different story.

When I was only able to move it a few inches, I suddenly lost all control. The wild mana that had gathered together exploded and scattered all over my body.

My whole body trembled in pain, and all my muscles suddenly contracted. I staggered to the bathroom with the urge to vomit, supported by the wall. But when I tried to vomit, what came out of my mouth was not what was in my stomach, but blood.

I clicked my tongue, rinsed my mouth, and spat out all the blood. I washed my face for a while to calm down a bit, and then I went back to bed. Even though the pain in my body was still there, I wasn't in a bad state. At least for now...

Okay, this is really dangerous. I think I should go a little bit slower.

Instead of moving the mana directly, I'm going to gather it in my chest and spin it as much as I can and make it as small as I can. First I'm going to learn to control this mana, and when I think I've mastered that well enough, then I'm going to move on to the next stage.

Yes, that would be best. Anyway, since I'm just spinning the mana inside me, I'm not spending it, so I don't have to worry about running out of mana.

So I closed my eyes again, and even though my body continued to ache, I focused on the mana within me again.

I kept practicing until I was too tired in my mind and unable to handle the constant pressure my mana was putting on my body.

*******

My eyes sparkled with excitement as a tall man in a suit approached me.

"What happened? Tell me!"

"The girl's testimony was just taken, Ms. Jenny. She seemed a little nervous, but the lie detector didn't pick up any lies from her. The camera data matches what she said. So we doubt she knows anything. The reason she is nervous is probably because she is testifying for the first time in her life."

With these words, my excitement plummeted and the anticipation on my face quickly gave way to disappointment.

"If that idiot doesn't know anything, where did my son disappear to? Explain to me how such a thing can happen within the confines of the academy!"

I shouted, making sure that everyone in the corridor heard me clearly.

The nobles who heard what I said, though they calmed down when they saw who I was, rose up again. The noise filled the corridor and chaos reigned. The guards tried to quiet them down, but the nobles only got louder.

"Calm down, please!"

Suddenly a loud female voice echoed through the corridor. All those who had just risen to their feet fell silent, and for a brief moment, time literally stopped.

"The Academy has decided to hold a meeting in a few hours with the families of the missing students to discuss this matter. So if you have anything to say, please save it for the meeting, and please don't cause trouble here."

Melany Quie had come here in person.

"You will all receive a detailed email about the meeting, just wait. There is something very important going on right now and we are investigating it very seriously. I'll say it again, please don't cause any trouble."

She was as authoritative as ever, her blue eyes cold and threatening. A few people had already taken a step back.

"If you understand, good."

With a slight smile on her face, Melany turned back the way she had come and walked calmly forward. The nobles and families she had warned said nothing; they just waited for the email, desperate for information about their children.

And yet...

I raised my arm, tapped the watch on my wrist and a holographic screen appeared in front of me. Then I went into the contacts app and dialed a number.

~beep ~beep

"Yes, ma'am."

"Go through everything Justin has done in the last month, his spending, the places he's been, the people he's hung out with, literally everything. Make a report based solely on your own research, independent of anything the academy has made public, and present it to me."

"Understood, ma'am."

With those words, the call was closed. I felt a little relieved as I looked around again.

The nobles had calmed down after Melany's words, but the tension had not disappeared. After all, every family had a child, some had an heir, and some had their most precious possession whom they loved more than life itself.

This was not going to go away so easily. I was not going to allow it.

I was going to find my son, no matter what.