25 Pain

I eyed the solution in satisfaction as I sniffed it. It smelled sweet like a lemon but had a raging fire to it. I took out my anatomical chart from my notepad. I took some ink from my table and stripped myself down to the bare essentials.

I have 7 days I plan on using this 1/7 of this solution every day. I used the ink quill while referencing the pad and my vision and tapped throughout my body.

All over my smooth white skin was various black spots, these were various safe points on my body. They point coincided with all the muscles I used to do my exercise. A principle of knighthood was to use our muscles until they were destroyed. Then with time they would recover and become stronger. All of these points were acupoints that I pinpointed using the chart.

I needed danger and I needed damage to my muscle, but I also needed to sharpen my will. Lastly, I need to control the damage so I can recover in 7 days for the dream formation again.

I put a needle in the Saffron solution and then pierced each acupoint with it. I would get the solution into the cut, my blood would clot quickly at those points. The biggest advantage was heightened biological functions, I would have a healing factor even at level 1.

At first, I felt nothing as my wounds healed and I pierced each point. After I was done I removed all the needles and I waited a while as I meditated, my solution had a little over 6/7ths left.

After a few minutes my skin started to feel a burning itch, it was insignificant but I knew it was working. Then my blood starting boiling, as my body heated up. My skin started to redden to a light pink, as I started to feel the pain.

Involuntarily my elemental brandings burned onto my face, as my magic eyes activated. My perception got bogged down as I felt light headed. I bit my tongue to keep myself awake as my sweat started to evaporate.

The spell circle on my forehead glowed a violet color as my aura became violet. The portion of the burning feeling moved to my forehead.

I felt a pleasant feeling contrary to my burning body, some of the saffron's essence stayed in my spell circle. The burning feeling in my body then decreased by a tiny bit.

I gritted my teeth and abruptly stood up, only to feel pins and needle feeling erupt from all over my body. I tried to take a step but each step was like standing on steaming rocks.

I felt like giving up, but the truth of it was that mage wouldn't give up. When he founds out I am alive, he'll experiment with me and dissect me. At least now this torture I do unto myself and not by the hands of interlopers. After I became accustomed to the feeling of the solution I unsheathed the void blade.

I started with basic sword swings, and not my usual exercise. Even gripping my blade would be painful, but I swung as the force transmitted back painfully.

I went out to the training area and got in front of the dummy. After checking on the old watchman, I started training again. I gripped my blade with all the power I could muster. I applied telekinesis on my body as extra gravity, ever since my level up my telekinesis got even stronger. I swung at the dummy intent on bisecting it.

Upon impact, my hand jerked as the force transmitted back, and I dropped the void blade. I looked at my empty palm and saw that it was a little bloody.

'I knew it would be tough but it was definitely worth it, there was just no real challenge earlier.'

I grabbed the void blade, with a blood palm and kept swinging and dropping it. As my blood would fly onto the dummy and splatter on my blade.

I went on like that all night until I felt my body was unable to continue, then I walked back home and collapsed in bed, which was hard and cold like the floor, but it cooled my burning hot body.

**************************

In the Magus Circle, Brian was seated as he sat in front, of an older man he was just reaching his 40s. But he had an aura of vitality and fire that was like an inferno. But his aura had a duplicitous side to it, contrary to the vitality was a hidden aura of death that was calm like an ocean; as though it were being controlled.

"Master Dante, what is it that you have found?" Brian said with a bowed head

The older man stroked his beard in contemplation as he watched Brian's bowed head, and then he opened his mouth.

"I told last time to get a good relationship with that rookie, well that was because I couldn't find his info."

"What do you mean you couldn't find it?" Brian asked quizzically.

"Joshua makes sure to keep a file on everyone who knows his existence. Although that boy had the mark like you said, he doesn't have a file." Dante said in a solemn tone

"I would ask Joshua but why would that demon listen to me? This kid is completely off the grid, and yet he knows of Joshua. I looked up his info with the kingdom, and it is nothing significant." Dante said with a frustrated tone.

Brian quietly listened to his master, as he remembered his experiences with Lucas.

"Tell me what do you think of this rookie?" Dante asked expectantly

"He's strange, aloof, and extremely arrogant," Brian said with an even, unhesitating voice

"I trust your judgment, so how do you think we should deal with this kid?" Dante responded

"We have too little to go on like you said, if he were off the grid because he is an enemy of Joshua, We would get commendations for giving them this info," Brian said with a supercilious smile.

"But at the same time, Joshua has plans for the Rain kingdom. If we disrupt those because they are related to this Lucas, we would be severely punished." Brian said with a cautionary tone

"The biggest point to make is we are already taking a risk by associating with that demon. Master you already accepted Joshua's death Qi. Though that keeps your body from death, whenever Joshua decides you will die. Accepting Lodite's energy of fire is fine in the kingdom, but his death Qi can only be granted by a demonic deal. You know what the kingdom will do when they find out." Brian said as he continued to analyze the risks.

"The risks outweigh the potential benefits here, we just need to find a way to heal your injury. We don't need anything other than more time from Joshua."

"So we should stay courteous to this Lucas, and keep an eye out for anything suspicious," Brian said definitively

"Good Brian I know I can always count on your intelligence," Dante said with a smile

**************************

Over the course of the remaining 6 days, I trained using the Saffron. Each day I would improve at first I could barely do the exercise for an hour before collapsing. But by the end of the 6 days, my body was just heavy, and I healed much faster.

All my stats except for magic power were boosted by 2 points, this was what was meant by half step. Reaching the point where you just needed a little push in stats to reach the next level.

Except in my case, it was better to call be a mid-stage level 2. But I was satisfied with the title, in just 30 days I reach mid-stage level 2. From Drrak's estimates and my own, it should take 35 straight days with instruction to reach my point.

I had library work and had to develop exercises, It took me only around 20 days to succeed. I didn't even dedicate all of those 20 days to my exercises, so it was even more impressive

It could have been caused by my talent, or my self-created exercises. But regardless my potential was already exploding from day one.

I woke up the morning of the rookie test, with confidence. I went to the Arena early morning and saw, the three groups of idiots. The commoners with John. The nobles and the superior nobles as in Raynard and Carol.

Carol looked at me before snorting coldly and looking away as she turned to Raynard. She said something to him as Raynard's face twisted in anger and he stared at me.

I had an impulse to tell him if he wanted to bet again. But I didn't want to disrupt the testing today, so I just gave Raynard my death stare.

I channeled my sword intent through my body, as my aura became sharp and all-conquering. Raynard tried to return the stare but he had yet to reach the realm of affinity becoming prowess. So his meager sword intent was crushed as he was forced to look away in shame.

I just smiled at his shame, 'It always feels good to suppress an idiot.'

John looked over an saw what was happening, he was still angry at me, but he hid it well. I could feel his hate, I was very sensitive to that feeling.

But he was so insignificant to me, it was liked being hated by a bug. I would just step on it if it were convenient otherwise I couldn't care any less.

As I had my stare down with Raynard, Teacher Elton ran in at hypersonic speeds.

"Today will be the end of your rookie period, some will be kicked out and others will prosper. You will be responsible for that, I hope to see improvement in some of you." He said as he looked at Raynard, Carol, John, and Me

"And of others, I hope you try to stay at your level at least." He said as he looked at the rest of the class members whose faces were pale from nervousness and fright at the test.