"I looked into a few spells except I haven't tested them yet," Freon said.
His offensive aspect was covered. What he needed now was defense, mobility, recovery, and investigation methods, especially when the battle entered close-range. In this vein, he researched how the Arcane Knights fought, since they were experts in close-range combat magic. They could have the answer he was looking for. Sadly, he was not a Perception Realm, or even close. He could not use the same methods as them.
"Hehe," Shirley chuckled mischievously. "I actually came up with some martial techniques in my spare time!"
Her words surprised everyone, while it stunned Benedict. She and Benedict were fellow Royal Guards and Protectors, meaning they had similar schedules. He did not have much time himself, so how did Shirley find the energy to create new martial techniques? Despite his disbelief, Shirley told the truth! Her new martial techniques were incredibly crude, awkward, and had not been tested. Still, this was the product of her brilliant combat instincts, blossoming into uncountable inspiration. Her instincts were the greatest out of everyone here!
"What about you two?" Shirley dragged the quiet Nassandra and Yuna into the conversation.
Nassandra did not reply immediately. She glanced at Freon out of the corner of her eye, somewhat afraid. She knew her brother did not approve of her being here. It went against his wishes of keeping her safe. And admittedly, she was scared of fighting. She did not want to get hurt or hurt anyone after her incident in the war. It was simply not in her nature. However, she did not want to see her brother getting hurt even more. If it meant stopping her brother, she did not mind doing this!
Contrary to her thoughts though, her brother, Freon, was actually fine with her joining. In his mind, they had multiple Perception Realms and multiple Condensed Drop Arcanists… Their collective strength was easily enough to handle anything that came their way. Not to mention, they were in the middle of the Zino Kingdom. It was really hard to imagine anything that could wrong. Of course, that did not mean Freon relaxed his guard. There were no absolutes in this world! Regardless, it was a good thing for Nassandra to gain combat experience in a safe, controlled environment. She could overcome her trauma and learn to protect herself. Why would Freon be opposed to that? He did not correct her misunderstanding. What he was confused about was Yuna. Why was that girl here? Freon stared at her with a slight frown. His gaze made Yuna duck her head. Neither Nassandra nor Yuna spoke a word.
Shirley intervened at the appropriate time. She said, "I invited Yuna, since she wanted to learn how to form her Condensed Drop Core. She's been struggling for a while now. Could you help her, Freon?"
Yuna clenched her fists nervously, afraid that Freon would say no. It would be a fatal blow to her heart, if he did. Thankfully, Freon agreed. Yuna exhaled turbid air. Her tense body relaxed, as glee flashed across her face. It was hard to contain how excited she was. Elizabeth, Benedict, and Freon were clueless about Yuna's feelings.
Elizabeth smiled. "I'm also curious about that. At the same time, I also want to learn how to use Martial Energy. Benedict, Shirley, you two formed your Cores, correct?"
"That's right," Benedict answered. "My master forced me to make my Core when I trained with him. It is currently Low Gaseous Fog. That said, I don't know any spells, so it doesn't have any meaning to me."
"We speculated that mastering both Martial and Magic Energy would be essential to becoming a Rank 3 King. It's better to start now."
"Did I form a Core? I honestly don't remember," Shirley replied slowly, leaving Elizabeth speechless.
"You don't have one," Freon stated with an eyebrow raised. His Magic Perception evolved to sense other people after becoming a Condensed Drop Arcanist, so he spoke with confidence.
Shirley slumped. "So, I have to start from the beginning? How am I supposed to catch up?" Benedict grasped Martial Energy, reached Major Sword Form, formed his own Core, and became a Perception Realm before her. His illustrious accomplishments made Shirley compare herself to him, and she grew distressed. She wanted to advance together, as a group of four!
Elizabeth laughed. "You don't need to worry about that. Freon and I don't know Martial Energy. We can learn together!"
"Can I learn as well?" Nassandra asked cautiously.
Elizabeth looked to Freon for his opinion. He shrugged with a light tone, "Sure, why not?"
As for Yuna, she was not really keen on improving her strength. She came on this trip as an excuse to interact with Freon. Everything else was extra. Since the ride to the Poderis Region would be long, everyone started sharing their insights, tricks, and tips. Elizabeth, Freon, and Nassandra sat quietly, listening to Benedict's lecture about Martial Energy. Like Shirley did in the Yunyun Stronghold last year, they were trying to sense Martial Energy inside their bodies. Stamina, willpower, internal energy… These were different ways to call Martial Energy. It was present in all living beings. The only challenge was in how to harness it. Shirley shared her experiences and talked about how she did it. Her ideas differed from Benedict, and they provided a fresh viewpoint. Even Yuna perked her ears up in attention. Although she was not that keen on learning, the lecture was still deeply enlightening! She could not help but try herself.
It was not easy. Back then, Benedict trained for two months before he could sense Martial Energy, and another two months before he could use it in martial techniques. Shirley had an easier time, since she developed Mock Perception. This allowed her to sense Martial Energy faster. Altogether, it took her around three months before she showcased it in the Battle of Liguang. This meant learning Martial Energy could not be done in a short period, and certainly not in the few days they had on this trip. That is, in normal cases.
But Elizabeth, Freon and Nassandra… These three people were already skilled in sensing and manipulating Magic Energy inside their bodies. Magic and Martial Energy were two sides of the same coin. They were both forms of energy, derived from World Energy! The first step was always the hardest. Since they knew how to manipulate one energy, they skipped over this crucial first step! The difficulty was lowered immensely. That said, they were not that heaven defying. They failed to grasp Martial Energy on their first attempts. Sighing, Elizabeth and Freon gave up. It was bound to be a long ordeal. Yuna was no exception, though she did not care that much. Nassandra lowered her head. Nobody could see her face or the queer expression she had.
Next, Benedict and Shirley were the ones listening, as Elizabeth and Freon talked about the Core, Magic Energy, and spells. Although Benedict had a Low Gaseous Fog Core, he never tried to use or advance it. If Elizabeth had not asked about it, he might have forgotten like Shirley. He could not call himself an Arcanist. Shirley was worse, since she did not have a Core yet. They had a lot to learn! Thankfully, they were in the same situation as Elizabeth and Freon were with Marital Energy. They passed over the first and hardest step.
Rainbow threads of World Energy shimmered in the carriage, as they swirled around Shirley. She needed to absorb these threads into her body, convert them into Magic Energy through her Channels, and then pour them into the space below her stomach to explosively create a Core! Shirley tried and grunted, but she could not absorb the threads. They did not budge! While she appeared hopeless, it was only a matter of time for her. The Zino Kingdom had entire schools dedicated to teaching Arcanists. There was no way she could fail. Elizabeth and Freon expected she would finish in a few weeks. Maybe earlier, depending on her talents.
Benedict borrowed Freon's wand. The wand served as a conduit for Magic Energy. It was indispensable for spellcasting. Every Arcanist had one, if not many! Without it, they could not do anything. That was the rule! At least, that was what people thought. However, Freon and Nassandra had seen their uncle using Magic Energy without a wand. He could 'free cast' spells! Perhaps, it was his special method, Bloodline Ability, or an ability of being a Blue Depth Core Arcanist. They did not know the reason. Likewise, Elizabeth thought about the Featherwind Sect. Elder Ludin and Elder Terus were Arcanists with Condensed Drop Cores, and they could cast spells seemingly without a wand. It was very mysterious.