Battle Mages

According to the pattern in Primordial Arcane Forge, Veer was tempering his body with pressure and heat generated from it.

There were many mysterious aspects in the technique and pattern Veer couldn't identify or simply couldn't understand because of their sheer complexity.

So, he gave up on them and simply used his vague understanding to try one more time. This time, he knew how much Mana the starting Mana Vein needed.

"Agh!" Veer groaned slightly as he circulated his Mana through the first Mana Vein. It made his blood boil as if he were on fire, and even his skin turned red.

Sweat dripped from his forehead like a small stream as the pain intensified when the Mana changed the Mana Veins. Unable to continue, Veer dispersed the Mana back into his body and threw his head back.

Lying on the wooden floor, Veer panted heavily. For some time, he just lay there, forgetting everything as his body needed rest.

In the next moment, his eyes snapped open as he sat up in a swift motion. Thinking about the pain the technique brought, Veer cursed, "I'll be damned! This was just the first Mana Vein of nine veins, and it's already so tough."

The cycle would be completed once he circulated the Mana through all nine designated Mana Veins; however, just the first one had brought him so much pain that he now wondered about the agony he would go through once he completed the cycle.

This wasn't even the worst part, as he could just endure and complete the cycle. But the number of Mana Veins in future cycles would increase, along with the pain he would experience.

After all, forging wasn't an easy task, and he was literally doing it with his own body.

"I should have expected such from an S-Rank Mana Circulation Technique," Veer sighed, lamenting his fate. However, his eyes brightened up slightly as he thought of the results.

"But it's worth it. I can become a Battle Mage if I persist through this. In a way, it's less time-consuming than other Mana Circulation Techniques, so that's a boon!"

One could become a Battle Mage easily if they wanted to, as one could choose their path when they started their journey. But the reason many gave up or failed was because of how much time and effort it consumed.

After all, if one wanted to be a Mage, they would need to do heavy studies on many topics and spells. They would have to spend days holed up in libraries, researching a small piece of information.

The first requirement of being a Mage was knowledge and understanding of different things, or at least the one topic they majored in.

Meanwhile, Warriors needed to spend too much time and effort to temper their bodies. This included Mana Circulation Techniques that used Mana to temper the body.

However, this method was too slow, as the majority of people didn't have access to high-rank techniques. So, they used many other exercises that pushed their bodies to the limit and then tempered them.

To become a Warrior, one needed to have a strong willpower and time to go through all the methods of tempering.

Both paths consumed so much time that even progressing in a single path was tough, let alone two. So even if one decided to become a Battle Mage, they would need to progress in both paths, which resulted in failure most of the time.

This was the reason many people feared walking on the path of a Battle Mage, but there were also those who dared to walk it and even succeeded. Like Freya, the Dean of Starlight Academy.

Now, Veer was planning to walk that same arduous path, which might result in his failure. But he knew he needed to be as strong as possible to face his destiny.

If he showed fear here, then he would have many things to regret in the future.

'If only I were alone, it wouldn't be this problematic,' Veer sighed.

Veer himself never cared about his life, as he considered it worthless. He was nothing but a scorn in both of his lives, so even if he died, it meant nothing.

However, he had people who would cry for him if he died. And that was the last thing he wanted—to make his loved ones cry.

'What an idiot I am!'

Veer shook his head, shoving away the damned depressing memories that always ruined his mood. Instead, he tried to cheer himself up by thinking of his future.

While Primordial Arcane Forge was a technique that brought nothing but torture to him—much more than any other Warrior would probably have to go through—it was effective.

He just needed to complete the cycles, and he would advance in stages. For example, once he completed the first cycle, he would form his Mana Core and enter the Beginner Stage.

Once he completed the second cycle, which included a more complex pattern and the addition of Mana Veins, he would enter the Intermediate Stage.

It was a simple and time-efficient way to advance.

As he was thinking about trying once more, a melodious song began to echo in the empty room.

Standing up from his spot, Veer mumbled, "Who is calling now?"

He went towards the bed where his clothes were and took out his phone from his used pants.

Seeing the name on the screen, a smile formed on his face as he picked it up and said, "Aiyo! You already began missing me?"

On the screen, the image of a young woman with short black hair and emerald green eyes hiding behind a pair of lenses was showing.

Elara grinned and shouted, "Of course, dummy. I'm here already thinking about beating you up."

"Give the phone to Lily; I don't expect to have a civil conversation with a mentally deranged...woman?" Veer scoffed.

"Oh yeah? This deranged woman is now the leader of Second Dormitory here," Elara said with a smug look on her face. "See how awesome and amazing I am."

She received no response, though, as Veer just stared at her like she was the biggest idiot he had seen.

'She is, no doubt.'

"What's with that reaction, dimwit?" Elara snapped at him.

"I'm just thinking how they shifted their responsibility to you, and like an idiot, you took it," Veer said, sitting on the bed with a sigh.

"As if you didn't do the same thing," Elara rolled her eyes in exasperation.

'I forgot how fast news travels in Academies and schools.'