"As I suspected. Each relic is in a different race's territory. The Elves, Dwarves, Beastmen, Humans, and Dragons. Getting them won't be easy, especially if someone else already has them." Zion looked at the map with a frown on his face. While he did expect this, he had hoped it wouldn't be the case. Wishful thinking.
"Wait, young master. This place on the map in Midgard, that's this kingdom." Lacey pointed to a location on the map. There was a large mountain range with a unique landscape that separated from other places on the map.
"Huh, yeah it is. That's convenient. That location seems a bit familiar as well." He pointed to the mountain ranges. "I recognized those mountains."
After scrambling his thoughts for a few seconds, a lightbulb finally lit up in his head. "Oh shit! That's the academy! Haha, I guess my time at the Academy is going to be a lot more eventful this year."
"What if you aren't able to find the relics?"
"Don't worry about that. We already have a team working on weapons that will definitely be of use to us. And even if our weapons don't work, I simply have to get strong enough to take the gods with my own power."
"To take on the god in the first place, you need to deal with the church." Lacey looked down, her hands fidgeting with one another.
"Yeah, I know, and that's easier said than done. The church has a force that can take on the Royal Army." Zion's options were limited, but they weren't non-existent.
"I'll have to support one of the Royal Princes or Princesses in the line of succession, controlling their every move. There is only one problem."
"Each of them has a significant backer," Lacey spoke with concern.
"Exactly, except for the youngest, the fifth princess. She has no supporters."
"So you plan to support her, put her on the throne, and make her rule in your stead?"
"Something like that. Then there's the academy. I plan to recruit talented people to build my own force. Buying a bunch of slaves won't be very practical since we'll have to teach them from scratch."
"That is a good idea." Lacey nodded
"I hope my Magic-Aura project is completed before I enter the academy. It'll greatly increase my power as I could study and practice magic at school."
Aura is the use of mana for physical means while Magic is the act of bending nature to one's will. Unfortunately, magic and aura can't be used at the same time, so whatever path a person takes, they have to dedicate themselves to it. The only exception is the Dragon race.
Some things overlap though. Both Aura users and Mages can use runes, however, magic circles, which are formations of runes that amplify spells, can only be used by mages. Both can also use alchemy since it is more akin to science.
Zion and his mother are Martial Artists, so they use Aura while his sisters are Mages. However, Zion is currently trying to figure out a way to use both magic and aura together in order to aid in his fight against the gods.
---
Since Zion had finished every important thing he needed to do for the day, he headed to the garden where he spotted his fiancée waiting for him.
"What the fuck took you so long?! I told you I was coming in the afternoon and now it's evening!" A striking young woman with fiery red hair and eyes glared at Zion, her voice sharp and commanding. She wore a flowing crimson dress that accentuated her curves, the neckline daring yet elegant. Gold jewelry adorned her, glinting in the light and adding to her fierce allure.
Just like her appearance, she radiated a fiery aura—not a manifestation of her power, but the sheer intensity of her presence.
"Haha, sorry, sorry, I had important things to take care of." Rubbing the back of his head, Zion smiled, chuckling slightly.
"More important than me?" She asked, raising an eyebrow, her red eyes piercing through his soul.
"I'm not answering such a dangerous question." Laughing, he pulled her in close for a hug.
"You think a hug is gonna make me feel better?!"
"No, but this will." He gently lifted her chin, capturing her soft lips in a kiss. For a moment, he could feel her resistance, but it melted away as she surrendered, her arms wrapping around his neck.
"Okay, I forgive you." She said, blushing after their kiss ended.
"So uh, what are you here for again?"
"You said that if I broke through to the Advanced Stage, you'd teach me your cultivation method."
There are 11 stages of power in this world and each stage is split into three sub-stages. Inept > Proficient > True
Apprentice Stage - Newly awakened mana
Beginner Stage - One ring/star
Intermediate Stage - Two rings/stars
Advanced Stage - Three rings/stars
Expert Stage - Four rings/stars
Master Stage - Five rings/stars
Grandmaster Stage - Six rings/stars
Supreme Stage - Seven rings/stars
Ascendant Stage - Eight rings/stars
Transcendent Stage - Nine rings/stars
Mystic Stage - Ten rings/stars
"Holy shit you broke through? That's amazing! Come on, I'll teach you right away." Normally around the age of 18, people would be at most in the intermediate stage. So Zion was impressed that she made it that far.
He took her to the training grounds where she changed her clothes and listened closely while Zion taught her his cultivation method.
"I'm sure you know our bodies constantly absorb and expel mana. Through cultivation, we take in vast amounts at once, conditioning ourselves to grow stronger and eventually break through to the next stage of power."
"Why are you telling me stuff I already know?" Lidia rolled her eyes.
"Shush, your teacher is talking. So, what my cultivation method does is absorb mana into the body at all times, while expelling it all out at the same time."
"Wouldn't that be redundant? The whole point of cultivation is to keep as much mana in your body to help breakthrough." She narrowed her eyes, wondering if he beloved was scamming her. Knowing Zion, she wouldn't put that past him.
"Normally, you'd be right, but my method is different. I pump mana throughout my body, filling it to maximum capacity. To prevent overload, I expel any excess mana, keeping myself at 100% at all times."
"Then what happens to the excess mana? Does it vanish into the air like normal?" Lidia asked
"Nope. I create a field of mana, or simply mana field, around my body, using it to enhance attacks or as a barrier. The mana stays connected to me, so I can control it however I like. The more mana you have, the larger the field."
"What do you mean?" Lidia asked
"I'll give you an example." Coating his fist in mana, Zion punched the training hall's wall and his fist tore through it.
"That was using mana normally. This is using my mana field." Mana surged around his fist. Lidia could tell it wasn't from within Zion, but his mana field. He struck the wall again, completely obliterating it.
"That's the difference. I'm sure you saw and sensed the difference as well, right?" He asked
"You didn't pull mana from your own body. It was as if you were cultivating in real time without the need for meditation. And your strength. You used the same amount of strength, but not the same amount of mana"
Lidia was in shock, she knew there were ways to enhance one's mana, but that usually involved pills, enchantments, or drugs.
"Exactly! I use less effort for better results without draining my mana, making my strength seem higher than my actual cultivation." It's like adding extra gravity to a punch without extra effort.
"Amazing." She admitted. The scamming feeling she felt was completely gone. In fact, Lidia would probably swear that she believed in him the entire time.
"Now sit your ass down, it's time to cultivate."
Zion demonstrated how he cultivated it so she could see what it was like in action. He guided her through every step and explained what she needed to do and visualize.
Finally, after three hours, she was fully capable of cultivating using his method.
"This is insane! I feel like I'm flowing with power." Lidia clenched her fists, shocked by the amount of mana that was constantly being absorbed into her body.
"That's because you are. But don't let it get to your head. I would still beat your ass." Slapping her ass, he ran away.
"Get back you son of a bitch!"