New Friend [1]

Several days had passed since Adrian had opened his mana circuit. With this newfound ability, he could now discern the true nature of the people before him, as well as their corresponding power levels.

Meanwhile, Adrian and his newly recruited fellow knight soldiers stood at ease in a line. Standing before them, on a raised platform, were none other than Reynold Baldwin, the Master-at-Arms, and Arthur Borga, the strategist wearing glasses.

It turned out that they had been called because their mana circuits had opened several days earlier due to an announcement made by the higher-ups.

Just then, after the courtyard had fallen silent, it was time for the strategist Arthur Borga to speak, as Reynold Baldwin had instructed him to do so.

"Hello everyone, I am Arthur Borga, the strategist of this unit. Congratulations on opening your mana circuits. I am here to explain the power system we use since most of us practice aura," Arthur said, introducing himself before continuing.

Arthur then began speaking, "Aura is a subset of Mana. This world is filled with Mana, and as Aura Knights, you have to learn how to harness it."

The recruits nodded in agreement, their eyes fixed on Arthur.

He continued, "The ranking of powers for Aura Fighters ranges from Tier 1 to Tier 5. Each tier has five stages, which means that there are a total of 25 stages to master."

The recruits gasped in surprise. It was a daunting task, but they were up for the challenge.

Adrian carefully considered Arthur's words, realizing that his power ranking was at Tier 1 in the first stage. As he listened to Arthur speak, the realization sank in, and he realized that most of the aspiring knights with him were also at Tier 1 in the first stage.

Arthur then revealed, "Only a few of the thousands who had reached the Tier 5 Aura Fighters have come to this world. This makes them extremely rare to find. You should consider yourself lucky to be given this opportunity."

The recruits felt a sense of pride in themselves. They knew that they were chosen because of their potential.

"The highest recorded Aura Fighter is a Tier 4 at 4th stage," Arthur said. "He is known as the strongest swordsman in the Aupherion Continent. You should strive to be like him."

The recruits nodded eagerly, their determination shining in their eyes.

Arthur then shifted his attention to the mages. "Mages use a unique power system consisting of circles ranging from 1st to 5th. Each circle also has five stages. You should keep this information in mind in case you encounter mages as enemies."

After Arthur finished his explanation, he stepped back, allowing Reynold Baldwin to step forward.

"Thank you for the information, Arthur," Reynold said, nodding respectfully.

"Now that you understand the power system of Aura Knights, it's time to teach you how to utilize your aura," Reynold continued, his voice filled with enthusiasm. "Since you've already opened your Mana Circuits, we can begin right away."

After a few moments, all of the aspiring knights closed their eyes and extended their arms in an "L-shaped" form, with their palms open. This allowed them to circulate their aura more effectively.

Among the aspiring knights was a man with jet-black hair, wearing glasses, who was struggling to learn how to utilize his aura alongside Adrian.

Meanwhile, in Adrian's mind, he felt a sense of urgency to accelerate his progress. He longed to become an aura knight in this world and gain more power, all in the hopes of finding a way to return to his previous world.

"I'm almost there!" Adrian thought, his brows furrowing as he closed his eyes.

Suddenly, he felt a tingling sensation coursing through his veins, or rather, his mana circuits, allowing him to generate more and more aura.

Furthermore, his entire body was now covered in a light bluish hue, prompting him to open his eyes and examine himself.

Beside him, the man with jet-black hair was determined not to be outdone by his fellow aspiring knight. He furrowed his brows even more, and after a few moments, he finally succeeded in utilizing his aura.

As he opened his eyes, his body was now covered in a light grayish hue, and he couldn't contain his excitement.

"Yes, I did it!" he exclaimed.

Two hours later, almost all of the aspiring knights who had been called were successful in utilizing their aura, while some struggled and vowed to work on their skills the following day and beyond.

Meanwhile, in the combat training room designated for aura knights, Adrian unsheathed a one-handed sword from the weapon rack, imbued it with aura, and swung it at a much sturdier training dummy. He felt a sense of joy as he observed the medium level of damage he had inflicted - not too impressive, but not too bad either.

"It seems like I still need more training, despite having learned how to utilize aura," Adrian muttered to himself as he examined the damage.

Just then, the man with jet-black hair appeared as if he was walking towards where Adrian was. As he came closer, he widened his eyes in surprise upon seeing the damage Adrian had inflicted on the training dummy.

"Wow! That damage looks so powerful!" the man exclaimed with an amazed expression.

Adrian turned his body towards the man who was speaking.

"Really? By most people's standards, the damage I inflicted on that dummy doesn't look too impressive," Adrian said, underestimating himself.

"I almost forgot to introduce myself. The name's Lucas," said the man with jet-black hair, extending his hand for a shake.

Lucas had jet-black hair that was neatly combed, and a pair of glasses that framed his intelligent blue eyes. He had a fair-toned body shape that resembled that of a typical warrior, with broad shoulders and a muscular build.

"Adrian Falter," Adrian responded, clasping Lucas' hand with a firm grip.

Lucas' expression turned into a frown as he scrutinized Adrian from head to toe. Suddenly, his face lit up with recognition.

"Wait a minute, I know you!" he exclaimed, bounding over to Adrian with excitement. "You've grown so much since the last time I saw you! Remember when you got beaten by that noble, Terrance Durk?"

Adrian winced at the mention of Terrance's name, his eyes narrowing with resentment. "Yeah, I remember," he replied through gritted teeth.

Lucas narrowed his gaze, studying Adrian intently. Suddenly, he began scanning Adrian's mana circuit, trying to locate his mana core.

"What the... your mana core is located in your abdomen? How is that even possible?" he exclaimed, his eyes widening in amazement.

Adrian shrugged nonchalantly. "Who knows?" he replied with a dismissive expression, as if it was no big deal to him.

As Fiona had mentioned in the previous days, the majority of people had their mana cores located in their chest or head. Those with a mana core in their head had the potential to become mages, while those with a core in their chest had the potential to become aura knights. Only a few instances in history had recorded individuals with their mana core located in their abdomen.

It was believed that individuals with their mana core located in their abdomen had the potential to become either a mage or an aura knight, depending on their training and abilities. However, it was a rare occurrence, and there were few records of such individuals in history.

"Hey, can I train with you?" Lucas asked eagerly, his curiosity piqued about Adrian's training routine.

Adrian turned his head towards Lucas and looked him in the eye. "Sure, we can spar so I can give you a taste of what a real battle feels like," he replied, accepting Lucas' request with a nod.

Lucas beamed with excitement. "Yes! That sounds great," he exclaimed.

Without hesitation, Adrian placed the real sword back onto the rack and grabbed two wooden swords. He passed one of the wooden swords to Lucas, ready to begin their sparring session.

Both of them took their combat stances, with Adrian giving Lucas a glare, signaling him to make the first move.

Without hesitation, Lucas charged towards Adrian, his wooden sword held tightly in his hand.

"Here I come!"