Author's Note:
Hey everyone! Just a few things I wanted to address:
1. Someone pointed out that the name Blink might cause misunderstandings later on, as it could be associated with space-time abilities. After thinking it over, I decided to rename it Flicker Step. From now on, instead of saying a character used Flicker Step, I'll simply describe them as flickered I've also gone back and updated Chapter 7 to reflect this change, so if you'd like, you can check it again.
2. I know some of you might be feeling that the novel has been mostly training-focused so far and that the plot hasn't progressed much. That's on me—I got too caught up in the training aspects and didn't realize I was neglecting world-building and character development. But don't worry! The next chapter will be the final part of the training montage. After that, I'll start introducing more characters and expanding on the world.
3. I really appreciate the feedback you've been giving me! If you ever notice something that could be improved, feel free to let me know. If I think the suggestion makes sense, I'll definitely work on it.
Thanks for sticking with the story! Your support means a lot! 😊
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'Finally!'
A strange yet soothing sensation spread through his body. For the first time, he could feel the ambient mana around him responding to his will, seeping into his body instead of slipping away like before.
A small smile formed on his lips. 'So this is what it feels like to absorb mana directly…
I must say, this feeling is really refreshing. It's like someone who has been living in a desert his entire life finally gets to bathe in a cool, rejuvenating oasis' The sensation was so entrancing that he didn't want it to stop.
Closing his eyes again, Kael focused on absorbing the mana from his surroundings, letting the energy flow through him for an hour before finally stopping. As he sat on the bed, his thoughts drifted.
"It has been exactly three years since I started meditating and trying to absorb the surrounding mana. At last, I could finally do it."
Shaking off his thoughts, he muttered, "Now, I need to learn how to absorb mana while moving. Compared to the first step, this should be much easier. If it took me three years to get this far, I should be able to master this in eight months at most."
Clearing his mind, he lay down and drifted into sleep.
The Next Day
The gentle murmur of flowing water filled the quiet morning air, blending with the soft chirping of birds hidden among the trees. The river shimmered under the first light of dawn, reflecting the pale gold hues of the sky above.
Despite the crisp morning air, Kael's body felt heavy, his movements sluggish as he pushed through his routine exercises. Beads of sweat trickled down his forehead, his breathing labored as he struggled to complete a simple set of push-ups. Each motion felt as though he were moving through water, his muscles screaming under the relentless weight pressing down on him.
"Huff... Huff..." Kael panted, pushing himself up with the effort. 'It's been two months since Helena crafted the pressure seal for me. Since then, I've been using it constantly, only taking it off when I'm around her.' He wiped the sweat from his forehead, his breathing heavy. 'She'd easily notice if I was using it during our lessons, and knowing her, she'd probably scold me for overworking myself.'
His mind drifted back to the day Helena had given him the seal—just three days after she started working on it.
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"Look here! This is the seal you asked," Helena said, holding up a small square-shaped paper with intricate engravings. "This is a special seal I made for you. It combines the features of several basic seals to create the perfect tool for body training. You can freely manipulate the amount of pressure it applies to your body. The pressure will distributed evenly over your entire body."
Kael stared at the seal in front of him; The seal was engraved on a square-shaped paper. His brow furrowing slightly. 'Just one seal?. I thought that there would be four or more seals—one for each limb, at least. But if this single seal could handle the entire process, it must have been far more advanced. I should analyze it after some time.'
Looking up at Helena, he asked, "Mom, do I use this seal like the others?"
Helena nodded. "Yes. Just place the seal on your chest, and it will automatically stick to your body. It's reusable, so you can remove and reapply it whenever you want."
"Okay, Mom. But how do I adjust the pressure? And what's the maximum weight it can apply?"
Helena chuckled at his curiosity before explaining, "Just channel your mana into the seal, just like how you activate other seals. Once connected, you can decide whether to increase or decrease the pressure, and it will adjust automatically. As for the maximum pressure..." she paused for a moment, then continued, "It can apply quite a lot. The equivalent of a 50kg vest, 25kg weights on each leg, and 12.5kg weights on each arm."
Those numbers shocked Kael. That was an absurd amount of weight for a child his age. Seeing his reaction, Helena smiled knowingly.
"Of course, that's just the maximum limit. I designed this seal with your safety in mind," she reassured him. "You can't increase the pressure to the max all at once. Instead, it will gradually rise—1 percent per second—when you try to increase it, and you can't raise it more than 20 percent at a time. This way, you won't accidentally set it too high and injure yourself."
She then added with a serious expression, "So don't increase the pressure too much at once. I designed this seal so you can keep using it for years to come. And remember—never push beyond what your body can handle, or you might just snap your spine like a twig."
Kael swallowed hard at the thought. 'Yeah… that would be terrible.'
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Coming to the present.
During his morning workout, he had set the seal's pressure to 10 percent. Over the past two months, he had gradually increased it from 5 percent.
"Using this seal daily has given me incredible results. My body has improved significantly in just two months," Kael thought "I should've asked Helena for this seal earlier… sigh, no point dwelling on the past."
After finishing his morning workout, he immediately headed home for breakfast. Once he had eaten, he stood in front of the large oak tree—its bark covered in numerous burn marks from his relentless lightning training.
Extending his hand toward the tree, Kael focused his mana. In an instant, three powerful lightning bolts shot from his palm, striking different spots on the tree's surface. The crackling sound of electricity filled the air as the tree's charred marks deepened.
"Hmm… not bad. The power behind these bolts has doubled since I first created them by merging small sparks. And now, I can produce three at once," he mused, flexing his fingers. "Still, my accuracy needs work. But that'll improve with training."
Kael fell into deep thought. 'Since I can create and control three lightning bolts simultaneously, it's time to learn the lightning spells I remember from the novel.'
Closing his eyes, he recalled the details of three spells once used by an unnamed extra. Kael furrowed his brows, sifting through his memories. That extra may have been insignificant, but his bragging had at least been useful. Three spells stood out—ones Kael was certain would be worth mastering.
1. Lightning Needles: a lightning-elemental spell that shot thin, precise bolts capable of burning and numbing a target. Individually, they lacked power, but in numbers, they could become lethal. Depending on how many needles one conjured, the spell rank could range from D to B based on the number of electric needles one can produce.
2. Lightning Arrow: a high-tier C to B-rank lightning-elemental spell that formed a concentrated bolt of lightning in the shape of an arrow. Unlike his usual lightning bolts, this spell had greater piercing power, capable of piercing through armor and shields with enough force. The more mana one poured into it, the stronger and faster it became.
3. Lightning Blast: a C-rank lightning-elemental spell that unleashes a concentrated surge of electricity, creating a small but powerful explosion upon impact. The blast releases a shockwave of energy, scorching its surroundings and momentarily stunning anyone caught within its radius. It is effective for both offense and crowd control, with its power and range increasing slightly based on the amount of mana infused into the spell.
Kael thought "Among these three spells, Lightning Needles should be the easiest to learn. It requires less mana compared to the others, making it the best place to start."
With that decision made, he raised his hand toward the tree, channeling mana into his palm. Five small sparks of lightning crackled to life, slowly converging into needle-like shapes. But before he could stabilize them, he lost control—two needles veered off and struck his arm, while the rest dissipated into the air.
Kael barely felt the impact. His high resistance to lightning and the minimal amount of mana he had used prevented any actual pain. Even so, disappointment spread across his face. 'It's harder than I thought. Without proper reference or guidance, I can't just recreate spells from descriptions alone. A slight mistake, and the entire spell collapses.'
He sighed, rubbing his arm. "I should start with just one needle, focus on perfecting its form and control first. Once I can maintain a stable one, I'll work on increasing the number, just like I did when training with lightning bolts."
His mind drifted to his progress in the Iron hide Clan's technique and flicker step. No matter how much he trained, the improvements were minimal. I'm hitting a wall with both techniques. Instead of wasting time forcing progress, I should practice them only once every two weeks. That way, I can redirect the extra time toward swordsmanship.
A plan started forming in his mind. 'I'll ask Father for a wooden sword and buy a book on basic sword forms from the bookstore. I won't become proficient right away, but it's better than nothing. Solid fundamentals will help me learn proper sword techniques in the future.'
With that decision made, he returned to practicing Lightning Needles spell until lunchtime. After eating, he shifted his focus to runecrafting. Grabbing a pen and paper, he quickly jotted down the seals he had learned so far.
Basic Runecrafting Seals (E-Rank)
1. Storage Seal
2. Heat Seal
3. Cool Seal
4. Hard Seal
5. soft Seal
6. Shock Seal
7. Wet Seal
8. Glow seal
9. Binding seal
Intermediate Runecrafting Seals (D-Rank)
1. Elemental Imprint Seal–Allows the sealing and temporary storage of elemental energy within an object.
2. Compact Storage Seal–A more efficient version of the Containment Seal, allowing for greater storage capacity in a smaller rune.
3. Reinforcement Seal–Enhances the physical structure of an item, increasing its resilience beyond basic fortification.
4. Barrier Seal–Forms a weak protective field that can absorb a small amount of damage before breaking.
5. Conductivity Seal–Improves the transfer of energy, enhancing mana flow efficiency in tools or weapons.
6. Echo Seal–Records sound and replays it upon activation, useful for messages or distractions.
7. Blast Seal–A low-grade explosive seal that creates a controlled detonation, useful for breaching weak structures or serving as a distraction.
[A/N: I added descriptions for the intermediate seals to clarify their power level. This should prevent any misunderstandings about their capabilities.]
Kael tapped the paper thoughtfully. "Hmm... Even though I've learned more seals than the ones listed here, most of them were miscellaneous, meant to refine my proficiency rather than for actual use."
His gaze drifted to the training seal Helena had crafted for him. "I still need to learn gravity runes—the ones she used in making my seal. Plus, there are a few more rune symbols I have to master before I truly reach the intermediate level."
With that thought in mind, Kael resumed his runecrafting practice, but he hadn't even been at it for long when Emily stormed up to him, her expression set with determination.