Mana Training Methods

Anthony had tracked down a lot of knowledge about mana training methods for humans that he had gathered during his many years collecting all kinds of information. It was only a portion of what his soul contained, but it was enough for him to conclude one thing.

His body needed to grow stronger and more durable if he wanted to unlock his maximum magical potential.

Anthony had already started piecing together a theoretical basis for a combination of multiple methods that should be more powerful than making a Dragon Heart. But even before he started working on the details, he knew that it would put a strain on his body. And while it could handle his soul, Anthony could tell it couldn't handle the exertion of withstanding a method like the one he had in mind.

So, Anthony would first have to lay a solid foundation and build up his bodily strength before he could begin developing his mana and magic. Prioritizing a stronger body would also mean his soul could fit and unravel quicker, which meant unleashing his knowledge and soul sense.

'Primal it is.'

Anthony's only option for strengthening his body so it could endure his future training would be with a Primal method. Technically speaking, it was a mana training method. But unlike with cores and circles and so on, it used mana to train the body instead of just using the body to store mana.

Primal methods were also a little more diverse. Core and circle methods were all based on the same fundamental theory. One created a core in the body no matter what the specific method was. The other created circles around the practitioner's heart, regardless of the specific method used.

Primal methods, on the other hand, had the same source of inspiration, nature, which was why they were in the same group. But that was where the similarities ended.

There were methods based on using ink from the blood of slain beasts, eating raw flesh from fresh prey, and the only type of method available to Anthony at the moment, Natural Breathing.

Unlike Blood Tattoos and Feasting, which were more of a 'the strong prey on the weak' kind of deal and were inspired by the strength of predators in nature, Natural Breathing took inspiration from how beasts grew stronger even by simply existing. After all, not all powerful beings were carnivores. Dragons were one such example. They grew stronger simply by breathing in mana and growing their Dragon Heart.

'I miss those days.'

Naturally, humans didn't have the same innate talent for Natural Breathing as beasts. But they could make up for it with effort granted to them by their relatively safe lifestyles.

Predators and beasts living in nature didn't have the leisure to waste energy training since they could be embroiled in a battle of life and death when they least suspected. Humans, on the other hand, with their cities and towns, could freely take time to train and tire themselves without worrying about food or survival.

Well, most humans could do that. Babies who could barely move their arms and legs as they wished couldn't just grab a couple of dumbbells and start lifting.

But Anthony wasn't daunted. If anything, the fact that he was in a baby's body was a good thing. He could train it from the ground up and turn it into the perfect weapon using his knowledge.

The current lack of muscle mass meant anything he did would basically be training, and the very first muscles he built would also be extraordinary. He would have an edge over all the other babies who could only start training several weeks later.

Anthony still hadn't grasped a baby's growth rate since he had spent most of his time immersed in searching his soul. Dragons, who could sleep for years, also weren't unnecessarily attentive to the passing of time on a scale less than a blink of an eye when compared to their almost endless lifespans.

Anthony had completely missed the fact that he wouldn't be leaving the nest anytime soon and that he wouldn't only have a couple of weeks' headstart against other babies his age. It would be a matter of years. Not that it mattered since Anthony wasn't competing with others his age. His target was the robed mage who forced a rebirth on him and whoever had made the spell that the mage used.

Just thinking about it made Anthony motivated. And as soon as he had slept and eaten, he got started.

Ever since his first nap, Anthony had spent most of his waking time either in his parents' arms or in his crib, so he was more than familiar with the smooth, round, wooden spokes creating a fence around him. It was slightly similar to a prison but made of wood and without a ceiling. The bedding also made it comfortable to lie down and sleep, at least now that he had a soft and feeble baby's body.

With his dragon body, even the hardest rock had been comfortable.

'Let's try to stand up first.'

Anthony's soul sense had grown from when he had first managed to free some of it from his tangled soul. But it was still only enough to see his immediate surroundings. He didn't know what lay beyond the crib aside from the ceiling up above him.

He had caught glimpses when his parents carried him, but he wanted to see for himself where he was.

Standing up was also a decent milestone to reach for newborns. If he could do that, he wouldn't be far from walking, and after learning how to walk, he was basically as good as independent. Anthony was confident that he wasn't far from being able to live on his own.

'Great.'

With a plan of action and the possibility of escaping the shame of being taken care of, Anthony was more motivated than ever, and he started flopping his arms and legs like a turtle flipped upside down.