(Arin's Perspective)
Sunlight pierced through the window, exposing the stark reality of my cramped dormitory. This three-by-three meter box had long abandoned the definition of a living quarter. It looked less like a student's room and more like the laboratory of a deranged wizard.
Instead of posters or wall decorations, the shelves in the corner were crowded with glass jars containing monster organs. Some were dried and shriveled, while others floated pale and ghostly in formalin solutions, staring back at me from behind the glass.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, I chewed on yesterday's stale bread to settle my stomach. Energy was the only currency that mattered today.
Once the meal was finished, I shed my crisp school uniform and replaced it with cheap steel plates to protect my chest. I strapped a sword to my waist, pulled on gauntlets that were already beginning to rust, and slung my surgical kit over my shoulder.
Finally, I reached for my secret weapon.
I grabbed several wooden needles that had been soaked in Nightshade extract and a blowpipe. This simple wooden tube was an ancient weapon of tribal hunters, a piece of knowledge I had unearthed from a dusty book in the library. For a mana-less person like me, poison and physics were the only reliable allies.
Objective: The Swamp Forest.
Entering that territory was no game. Although it was only inhabited by Tier 1 monsters and a handful of Tier 2 beasts, a single mistake could be fatal.
My feet carried me to the school's exit gate. Security was tight, which was natural considering the Academy was filled with noble children whose lives carried hefty price tags.
"Exit permit?" the gatekeeper asked in a bored tone. His eyes scanned my peculiar attire. "You said you wanted to go home due to an injury, yet you are dressed for war."
I expected this.
"Ah, surely you know the situation in the capital, Sir?" I replied casually while adjusting my sword belt. "The terror of that heretical sect is rampant. This is just a precaution for self-defense on the road. I have no desire to die a foolish death before reaching my house."
The guard looked doubtful, eyeing me from head to toe with a look of disdain. Finally, he waved his hand dismissively.
"Fine, go. But remember, return before the gates close at dusk."
"Understood, Sir."
Once I slipped past the gate, I hurried toward the northeast sector. Crossing the border post with my student badge, the stench of rotting vegetation immediately greeted my nose.
The Swamp Forest.
This place was a nightmare for preening nobles. Mud as deep as your calves, the stinging smell of methane gas, and mosquitoes the size of fists made them reluctant to dirty their expensive boots here.
To me, this was paradise. Silent, humid, and full of free experimental materials.
I crouched behind the roots of a giant mangrove tree, holding my breath. My eyes locked onto a creature at the edge of a mud pit: a Horned Frog.
It was the size of an adult dog, with slimy green skin patterned in red; nature's warning sign of danger. Although it was only a Tier 1 Junior monster, the kick from its legs could snap a human neck in an instant. However, it was not the leg muscles I was after.
The secret lay in its heart. An organ capable of pumping mana explosively.
I reached for my blowpipe, loading a cloth wad and a poison needle into the end of the tube. Slowly, I pressed my lips to the wood.
I filled my lungs with air until my cheeks puffed out.
Last time, I failed because I rushed. I had nearly been torn apart by this damned amphibian. This time, patience was key.
Wait...
The frog inflated its throat sac. Croak.
Now.
Thwip!
The needle flew silently, embedding itself precisely in the gap between the skull and the spine. Severing the Medulla Oblongata.
The frog's body went rigid instantly. Brain death. Its heart was still beating, its organs still fresh.
Perfect.
I immediately dragged the carcass to drier ground. Wasting no time, I laid out my set of scalpels.
"Sorry, friend. I need your engine," I muttered coldly.
My scalpel made the first incision, parting the slick chest. I cracked open the ribcage. The wet sound of breaking bone made me wince. The metallic stench of blood assaulted me, but my nose was already too familiar with the aroma of death.
There. In the center of the open chest cavity.
THUMP... THUMP... THUMP...
The monster's heart was still beating strongly. It was a deep purple, covered in a thin membrane of mana that glowed dimly. I brought my face closer, observing the mechanism intently like a watchmaker examining an antique timepiece.
"Incredible..."
The human circulatory system flows mana like water in a hose; a continuous, smooth stream. But this frog was different because it possessed a Double Mitral Valve.
During the diastolic phase, or relaxation, the valve closed tight, holding back the flow of mana until the pressure built to an extreme level. Then, during systole, or contraction, the valve snapped open.
BANG!
High pressure was fired throughout the body, creating an instant explosion of power.
That was the key. My body, suffering from Static Mana, had narrow and rigid channels. If I tried to "flow" mana like a normal person, the current would jam.
But... what if I didn't flow it? What if I pumped it? Do not be a calm river. Be the piston of a steam engine.
I set down the scalpel. Sitting cross-legged beside the open carcass, I closed my eyes. I placed a hand on my own chest, feeling the weak rhythm of my life.
"Let's try a simulation of the Mitral Valve," I whispered.
Humans breathe with a simple Inhale-Exhale rhythm. This new technique was different: Inhale-Hold-Compress-Explode.
I drew a deep breath, forcing my lungs to expand to their absolute limit.
Hold.
I hardened my diaphragm muscles, pressing my lungs against my heart. Applying brutal physical pressure to my internal organs.
Pain.
Agony slammed into my chest, as if a boulder were crushing my ribs. My face felt hot. My heart began to panic, beating wildly as it tried to fight the compression.
Not yet... Press harder...
I imagined the mana inside my body, usually stagnant like brackish water, now being squeezed by narrowing blood vessel walls. My blood pressure skyrocketed. My ears rang with a high-pitched whine, and the vision behind my eyelids began to flash red.
At the critical point, just when my lungs felt like they were about to burst...
EXHALE!
I jerked the breath out through my teeth with a sharp hissing sound. Simultaneously, I drew my practice sword and slashed at the mangrove tree in front of me.
WOOSH!
An alien sensation shot from my heart to my right arm. It was not a gentle flow, but a scorching jolt, like high-voltage electricity. For a split second, my dull iron blade was enveloped in a solid, dim light.
CRACK!
The sword bit deep, nearly cleaving the concrete-hard mangrove trunk in two.
Silence.
Usually, with pure physical strength, this dull sword would only bounce off or barely scratch the bark.
My breath came in ragged gasps. The sword slipped from my grip and fell with a clatter into the mud. Warm blood dripped from my nose, staining my trousers. My right hand trembled violently from severe muscle shock.
Yet, my lips curled into a wide grin. My bloodied teeth bared at the silence of the forest.
That light just now... that was Aura.
Even if it was only for an instant, even if it nearly made me pass out... I succeeded.
I managed to force this crippled body to vomit out Senior-Level Aura. It was madness. I hadn't even mastered the junior level, but for a moment, my body mechanics transcended their biological limits.
I looked at the frog carcass beside me with a strange sense of gratitude.
"Theory proven, Professor."
My voice was hoarse, choked with blood. "Now all that remains is... how to do this without dying of a heart attack."
I wiped the blood from my nose with the back of my hand. Step one was complete.
Cardiovascular Breathing Technique: Prototype 1.0.