Free?

Linfel finished all nine receptors and received his daily 100 Academy Credits. He seemed in a great mood, feeling like he hit the jackpot. 'This is truly great! There is always enough Yellow Magic Energy equivalent to hundreds of Yellow Magic Stones. I will level up pretty fast like this.'

Aelua's gaze followed Linfel as he left, her mind immediately returning to her task. She diligently searched for Alvin's contact, her fingers flying across the terminal. Alvin, despite Linfel's newfound independence, was still listed as his Master. After a few minutes, she found his number and dialed, her anticipation palpable. However, her efforts were met with silence. 'Of course, it's still the early hours. He's probably fast asleep.' 

Linfel returned to the dormitory in high spirits, thinking about what he should do now. He seemed to have one more advantage that Maguses and Familiars didn't. He didn't feel his core growing saturated due to the Magic Energy Integration. 'Well, at least this much hasn't changed from back then.'

Back in Linfel's time, he could absorb Primordial Energy without ever feeling tired. All wisps could do it. Unfortunately, they couldn't grow strong, so such an advantage was useless. All the training Horan gave Linfel was designed around the fact that Linfel only had so much Primordial Energy to use. Now, however, Linfel could truly grow strong, and this advantage was enormous.

'Hum... I could pretty much level up without stopping. However, I don't have anywhere near the necessary amount of Academy Credits to do such a thing...' Linfel thought. 'Whatever. I might as well go to the Floating Blades Faction instead.' He immediately turned around and left.

As mentioned before, there were a few pieces of equipment made for Familiars Training in there. One of them was the Soul Strengthening Magic Diagram. Familiars don't have bodies, only cores. If they wanted to improve their cores, they would truly need to gather better materials and reconstruct them.

That was a hard thing to do and even more expensive than creating a new familiar. Not to mention that their soul resided in their cores, so such a change carried its risks. That said, most familiars, including familiars from rich backgrounds, first worked on a certain trait. Obviously, that trait was their souls. The stronger their souls, the less unlikely it would be for problems to arise once they decide to improve their cores. That was especially so once they got to higher levels. After Level Three, most Familiars would find it too hard to progress without building a better core to store Brown Magic Energy or higher.

Linfel obviously wasn't a Familiar. His core was his soul. They were the one and the same. If he tried to rebuild it, he would simply die right there and then... or at least Linfel believed he would. Still, he had some hope. 'Perhaps there is indeed a way for me to improve my core in such an advanced world. The technological achievements on this planet alone already far surpass what Horan and I saw during our time together. And, according to Alvin, this planet is quite a remote one of little importance in the universe's whole picture. Even if I can't find a way to improve my core here, perhaps there will be some way somewhere else.'

Nonetheless, Linfel didn't need to worry about being stuck. He didn't have the Familiar's limitation regarding the material of their cores. His core was born from energy, primordial energy, and as long as it levels up, it will be able to store stronger energy than before. Linfel already could store Red Magic Energy at Level One, although not as much compared to what he could do if he was at Level Two. The only reason he even considers changing his core in the future is to make it even stronger.

Linfel arrived at the Floating BLades Faction, which was always open 24/7. Inside, the night attendant quickly came to receive him. "Hello, Linfel. I heard about you from the Faction Leader. Do you need any assistance?"

Linfel nodded. "I still don't know how to operate the Soul Strengthening Magic Diagram for Familiars. Can you bring me there and show me how to do it."

"Definitely," the assistant nodded. "Please, follow me."

They passed through a few doors and went to the second floor. Finally, they arrived in a room where three platforms could be seen. "Please select any of the devices."

Linfel nodded and stepped on one of them. He came here before, but he didn't have the chance to learn it well. He had quite some extra time now, so he intended to learn it properly. The attendant also stepped on the platform and showed the terminal to Linfel. "This is how you do it. On the first option, you can select the type of Soul Stress. The device will convert Magic Energy into concentrated waves similar to Soul Waves. You will need to open your soul and let it go through. Otherwise, the device is useless."

He then showed the next option. "This one is to select the level of Soul Waves. The higher the level, the stronger the Soul Waves created by the device. Don't worry, though. It only affects your soul as long as you permit it. You just need to block the soul waves, and there will be nothing the device can do even if the level is increased a hundred times."

"Finally," he continued, "you have the timer. You can set a specific time of operation, and the device will stop once the time runs out."

"It's pretty simple. I like it." Said Linfel with a happy expression.

The attendant nodded and stepped out of the Platform. He then stayed near it in case Linfel needed more assistance. Besides... even counting Alvin, the Floating Blades Faction has only six members and their families. This attendant who worked during night shifts usually didn't have anything else to do anyway.

"Hum..." Linfel checked the types of Soul Stress. By forcing the soul to resist the waves, you could build their strength. It was a simple but very effective method for Familiars. "Needle Waves, Assault Waves, Compressing Waves..." There were a few types of Soul Waves, so he found it difficult to select one. "Fuck it. Let's use them all at once. Hahaha!"

He selected all options and immediately activated the Magic Diagram... just for it to turn off again a second later. "Hum? Why is it nor working?"

The attendant pointed at a Magic Container on the side. "You forgot to add the Magic Stones for it to work."

"Eh?!" Linfel was taken aback. "Aren't the Faction Devices for free?"

The attendant nodded. "They are. The Academy charges Academy Credits for you to use them in their facilities. And you still have to provide your own Magic Stones. Here, you don't need to pay any Academy Credits. You just need to use your own Magic Stones and train as much as you want."

Too bad, though. Linfel didn't have a single Magic Stone.

"Meh..."

It was then that he thought of something. "What happens if I use Red Magic Stones?"

The attendant narrowed his eyes. "Well, they are a lot more expensive, so I wouldn't recommend it. Nonetheless, if you use Red Magic Stones, higher levels of Soul Waves will be available. For example, regardless of the grade of Yellow Magic Stones, you will only have Level One Waves available for use. Red Magic Stones, obviously, unlocks Level Two Waves, which are a lot stronger. Usually, they are not fit for Level One Familiars like you."

"Oh..." Linfel nodded and came out of the platform. "Seems like I wasted my time coming here. What else is there for Familiars in this place that doesn't require Magic Stones?"

"Hum..." the attendant thought about it. "I guess only devices related to normal training. For example, target practicing, magic energy control practice, and things like that. They need your own Core Magic Energy, so they obviously don't need Magic Stones."

Linfel shook his head, not interested. He had done these kinds of practice countless times when he traveled with Horan. He also got perfect scores on similar tests, like the Independent Familiar test. They were pretty much useless to him. "Oh well... I guess I'll go to the Mission Hall instead and try to earn as many Academy Credits as possible."

The attendant nodded and brought Linfel to the entrance. However, just as Linfel was about to leave the building, he bumped into someone else who had just arrived. "Hum? Oh, hi! I haven't seen you yet. I'm Linfel."

In front of him was a small cloaked person whose expression was impossible to be seen. There was also a familiar on his side with a red color of magic energy, showing its level two. Nonetheless, the familiar kept silent. The guy simply nodded at Linfel and didn't say anything, quickly passing by with his familiar.

The attendant seemed to know who it was, though. "Hi, William. Are you trying the Level Three again?"

The clocked guy nodded. From the name, it seemed to be male.

"Very well," the attendant nodded. "Do you need me to help you with it?"

The guy shook his head, still saying nothing, before turning to the side and walking deeper into the building.

Before he even left his sight, Linfel got curious and asked the attendant. "Is that the last member of the Floating Blades Faction?"

"Last member?" The attendant got confused.

"Oh, right!" Linfel understood. "You weren't here when Alvin and I first arrived. They introduced us to the members of the Faction, but there was one remaining who wasn't here at that time. Pamil said we would eventually meet him. I wonder if that was the guy."

"I see." The attendant nodded. "That is indeed him, William Banzen. And on his side was Mongis, his Familiar. Obviously, an independent familiar since those are the rules of the Floating Blades Faction. Don't judge him by his size. William is almost twenty already."

"Twenty?!" Linfel was surprised. "I thought he was a kid."

"He's a dwarf," the attendant explained. "That's why he is that small."

"Dwarf? Is it a different race?" Linfel asked, curious.

William suddenly stopped, not being able to ignore those words. He quickly turned around and reached for Linfel. "Where the hell did you get that from? Are you mocking me, uh? Dwarfism is just a genetic mutation or disorder and sometimes happens due to some other medical reasons. Nonetheless, I'm still very much a human. Don't be that disrespectful."

"Master, let's just destroy him. Pamil will definitely understand it later," said Mongis, his Familiar.

Linfel was taken aback and quickly apologized. "Sorry, sorry. I've been created without general knowledge that most familiars carry from birth. This was the first time I had seen or heard about dwarfs. I truly meant no disrespect."

"No knowledge?" William narrowed his eyes, feeling skeptical. "Do you take me for a fool?"

The attendant quickly jumped in. "William, he isn't lying. Linfel was indeed created without the general knowledge of Familiars. It is also mentioned in his Faction ID."

William looked at the attendant, who he could consider to be a friend. Nonetheless, he still took out his MCOM and checked Linfel's information. Indeed, in the Faction private website that only members could access, it was mentioned that Linfel was created without general knowledge. "Why would anyone go through such a pain?" Finally, he let Linfel go, understanding Linfel didn't say that out of malice.

Linfel was relieved. "Bro, you truly have a short temper."

Mongis quickly spoke. "That's because you don't know what my master has gone through because of his stature. If you ask me, my master was already being very lenient with you. I would have simply wiped you out straight away."

"Enough, Mongis," William stopped his Familiar there. "We came here to see if we can finally make the jump to Level Three. Let's not waste time."

Finally, William and Mongis left and disappeared inside the building.

The attendant finally let out a sigh of relief. "Try to not make such jokes anymore, okay? Even if it wasn't intentional."

"It wasn't supposed to be a joke, though." Linfel felt helpless. "By the way, what do you mean with Level Three? Is he trying to advance to the next level? Also, what's your name? I still haven't asked."

"Hum? Oh, you can just call me Droval," said the attendant. "As for your first question, the answer is yes. He has been trying to advance to level three for a few weeks already. Right, you might not know about it yet. Advancing a level is quite annoying, even if you have the resources. For William, especially, it is even more so because of his dwarfism. After all, the techniques available always take into account the normal meridians of a normal person's body. His ones are different. I hope he succeeds soon. Even though he has a short temper, few are as dedicated as him."

Linfel definitely liked those who put in the effort, and he could even see a little of himself in William. After all, even though Linfel was with Horan, the contempt due to the fact he was a wisp was obvious in everyone's eyes every time Horan met someone with him. "I understand... Is it a problem if I take a look?"

"There shouldn't be since the entire Floating Blades Faction is open to its members," Droval said. "Just make sure you don't bother him."

"Very well," Linfel quickly went after William after that.