The lingering heat of battle slowly bled out of the training room.
Alex sat with his back against a pillar, breathing evenly as the effects of a mana potion and a health potion spread through his body.
Within minutes, he was back on his feet.
Once she was certain he could stand properly, Elena spoke up. "Before we move on to spells and combat applications, there are fundamentals of mana you need to understand. Things every mage must master—regardless of affinity or talent."
She began, "First—Perception. This is the ability to sense and perceive mana in the environment and within living beings. Its most basic application is Mana Sense."
Alex nodded. That much, at least, he was familiar with.
"Second—Control and Density. This governs how precisely you can shape mana, how tightly you can compress it, and how long you can sustain that structure without collapse."
She pointed towards him.
Translucent strands of mana snapped into existence, coiling around Alex's limbs like glowing ropes. They tightened instantly, restricting his movements and disrupting the flow of mana through his body.
"This is Mana Bind," Elena said calmly. With a small flick of her wrist, the construct flexed—then dissolved cleanly back into raw energy. "It can be used to restrain or immobilize a target."
She followed it with another demonstration.
Mana gathered and curved in front of her, forming a transparent, crescent-shaped barrier that hovered effortlessly in the air.
"Mana Shield. A fundamental defensive technique," she explained. "It is not as durable as a full defensive spell, but it is much faster to deploy. With sufficient control, it can also be formed as an invisible layer around the body."
The shield shimmered once—then vanished. Elena continued without pause.
"Third—Flow and Release. This governs how mana is expelled outward." She gestured lightly. "Its applications include Mana Bullet and Mana Wave."
A faint glow gathered in her palm, compressing rapidly until it condensed into a brilliant sphere no larger than a marble.
"Mana Bullet."
She flicked her wrist. The projectile vanished with a sharp crack and struck the far wall a heartbeat later. A deep indentation appeared in the reinforced surface, clean and precise, as if drilled rather than blasted.
Alex stiffened. He recognized it instantly.
'So that's what she hit me with yesterday…'
Elena shifted her stance and waved her hands towards him.
"Next—Mana Wave."
A wide, invisible shock burst outward, rippling across the ground like a tidal pulse. The air itself buckled as the wave expanded.
Alex barely had time to brace before it slammed into him, launching him backward. He skidded several meters, boots screeching against the reinforced floor before he managed to catch himself.
Elena straightened, completely unfazed by the display.
"Mana Wave disperses unstable spell structures and disrupts casting," she explained calmly. "But it demands a high mana output to be effective. That is why most mages prefer element-based spells instead." she continued. "Something like
Elena continued, "Some techniques—like Mana Enchantment and Mana Infusion—don't belong to a single category. They require Control to shape and anchor mana, and Flow to continuously circulate it. Lacking either makes them unstable. They are similar in principle, yet fundamentally different in application."
She gestured toward herself. "In Mana Enchantment, you weave mana into your own body. You pour mana inward, temporarily reinforcing your physical attributes—strength, speed, endurance, reaction."
She shifted her hand outward. "Mana Infusion, on the other hand, channels mana into an external object, temporarily enhancing its properties instead."
Her gaze locked onto Alex, sharp and unflinching.
"You possess more magical power than most students in this academy." she said bluntly. "Your casting speed is absurd. Your affinity is… abnormal." Her eyes narrowed slightly. "But you lack experience where it matters."
She stepped closer, her presence pressing down on him like invisible weight.
"That's why we start with the basics."
Aurora, who had been hovering quietly near Alex's shoulder, crossed her arms with a small huff.
"She's right, you know," she said, clearly unwilling to be left out. "These are basic mana techniques. It's practically common sense—something everyone knows."
Alex slowly turned his head to look at her.
"Wow," he deadpanned. "And look who's talking."
Aurora blinked. "Hey—!"
"You've been teaching me only advanced techniques and high-tier spells." Alex continued, arching a brow. "You kind of… skipped the fundamentals."
Aurora sputtered for a moment, then looked away with an offended huff.
"T-That's different!" she protested. "You were learning fast! I just assumed you'd pick these up on your own!"
Elena, of course, was unaware of the silent exchange between Alex and Aurora. Her attention had already shifted fully back to instruction.
"We'll start with Mana Bind." she said. "You shape mana into chains and try to anchor them directly to a target's mana flow. It's effective against weaker opponents or as a momentary disruption—but easily dispelled."
Alex nodded and stepped forward.
He extended his hand, closing his eyes briefly as he visualized the structure. Mana flowed out, hesitated, then twisted into chains. For a moment, they wavered—on the verge of collapse—before stabilizing and snapping around the dummy's arms.
The bindings held.
[A new technique has been registered]
==============================
Technique: Mana Bind
Description: The user shapes mana into restraining constructs that attach to a target, limiting movement or interfering with mana flow. The strength and duration of the bind depend on the amount of mana used and the user's control.
==============================
Elena raised an eyebrow.
"Not bad. Your control is rough, but your comprehension is fast."
Alex released the spell, and the mana unraveled almost immediately, dissipating into the air.
Next came Mana Shield.
"This one is simpler," Elena said. "Channel mana outward and shape it freely. Think of it as a barrier without a spell framework."
Drawing on his experience with
The result was… messy.
The shield flickered, its surface rippling like unstable glass. Adjusting his approach, Alex loosened his grip on the mana. The shield stabilized, forming a translucent plane of condensed energy.
[A new technique has been registered]
==============================
Technique: Mana Shield
Description: The user condenses and shapes mana into a protective barrier that absorbs or deflects incoming physical and magical attacks. The shield's strength and stability scale with the amount of mana supplied.
==============================
Mana Bullet followed shortly after—and to Alex's surprise, it was almost trivial.
He compressed mana into a dense point and launched it forward. The projectile cracked through the air and struck the far wall with a dull thud, leaving behind a shallow crater.
[A new technique has been registered]
==============================
Technique: Mana Bullet
Description: The user compresses mana into a dense projectile and releases it at high speed toward a target. Greater mana compression increases the projectile's speed, penetration, and destructive power.
==============================
Elena observed in silence.
"…You've been doing this unconsciously within your spells." she noted. "No wonder you grasped it so quickly."
Then came Mana Wave.
"Gather mana," Elena instructed, gesturing with her hand. "Then release it outward in a single motion."
Alex mirrored her movements, pooling mana within his hands from his core before pushing it out in a controlled surge.
[A new technique has been registered]
==============================
Technique: Mana Wave
Description: The user releases a wide surge of mana outward, creating a force that pushes back targets and disrupts mana-based techniques or spells. The range and impact of the wave increase with higher mana output.
==============================
The resulting wave rolled across the floor—far weaker than Elena's demonstration, but still strong enough to rattle nearby equipment and send loose debris skidding across the room.
He exhaled, faintly surprised.
Finally, they moved on to Mana Enchantment.
Elena barely needed to explain.
Alex began feeding mana directly into his body. Instantly, a profound strength surged through him wherever the energy flowed. His muscles tightened, his senses sharpened, and even his footing felt lighter.
[A new technique has been registered]
==============================
Technique: Mana Enchantment
Description: The user weaves mana into their own body, reinforcing it from within. By channeling mana inward, their physical attributes are temporarily enhanced, scaling with the amount of mana poured.
==============================
Elena watched Alex for a moment, then clapped her hands once. "Good. That covers the theory and initial execution." she said. "Now comes the training."
Alex tensed instinctively.
"For the rest of today," Elena continued, "we'll drill these techniques until they become instinct."
She pointed toward the center of the room. "Stand there."
Alex complied, stepping onto the marked space.
"For your first exercise, you are only allowed to stand there and use Mana Shield. You are not allowed to keep it active continuously. Keeping a shield active during combat is inefficient and drains mana. To train your reaction and timing—and to make it more difficult—I will move around the room so attacks come from all directions."
Her gaze sharpened.
"Raise the shield too early and you waste mana. Raise it too late and you get hit."
Alex swallowed and nodded. "Understood."
The first impact came without warning.
By the time Elena finally stopped, Alex was breathing heavily, sweat soaking through his clothes, his arms trembling from repeated, precise activations.
"Next," she said, giving him no time to recover, "I am going to throw magic spells at you." Elena continued calmly. "Your job is to block or deflect it using Mana Wave. Remember—if your output is too weak, my spell will punch straight through and hit you."
The exercise escalated quickly.
Fire, wind—spells of all kinds.
Alex was forced to adjust on the fly—output, timing, release angle—every wave different from the last. Mistakes were punished immediately. Success bought him only seconds of reprieve.
By the end of the first day, he could barely stand.
Then Elena said, mercilessly, "We'll repeat this tomorrow."
The training did not stop.
For three days, the routine repeated—harder each time.
Faster attacks. Tighter margins. Less warning.
By the third day, Alex no longer thought about when to raise a shield or how to release a wave.
His body simply reacted.
And Elena watched closely—very closely—as instinct began to replace raw power.