The Awakening of Mana

After a month of intense physical training, Carl realizes that it's time to introduce mana manipulation into his training and help his subordinates awaken their powers. He is determined to share with them the fundamentals of a breathing technique called "Win Hof" to strengthen their abilities and endurance.

Carl gathers his unit in a quiet location and explains the principles of the Win Hof breathing technique, which involves breath control to increase lung capacity, cold resistance, and mental focus. He emphasizes that creating a mana core requires discipline, determination, and a deep connection with one's own body and life energy.

However, Carl acknowledges that his subordinates don't possess the same level of talent he does. He understands that sensing the presence of mana will be a more challenging and time-consuming process for them. Nonetheless, he encourages them to persist and trust in their potential.

Carl needs to develop his sword technique, so he decides to seek the help of Ray, who has been an unlikely companion on his journey and demonstrates genuine interest in his progress. The two meet again in a quiet location, and Carl shares his intention to explore awakening mana in his sword.

Curious and intrigued, Ray shows interest in learning more about mana awakening and how it could impact her own journey of self-discovery. She offers to assist Carl in his quest for knowledge by providing access to books and scrolls from her father, the lord, that may contain valuable information on mana manipulation. With her father's permission, Ray secretly hands over these materials to Carl so he can study them.

With Ray's help and leveraging his understanding of the modern world, Carl delves into studying and experimenting to learn how to channel mana into his sword. He discovers that manipulating mana in objects is a complex skill that requires precise control over the magical energy present in his own body.

Carl uses his modern knowledge to develop a systematic technique for condensing mana into his sword. He experiments with different visualization methods, concentration, and projection, seeking to enhance his control over magical energy.

While Carl focuses on improving his own technique, he also dedicates time to individually mentor his subordinates. He encourages them to practice the Win Hof breathing exercises regularly, strengthen their connection to life energy, and attune themselves to the mana around them.

Over time, Carl's subordinates begin to show signs of progress in their mana awakening journey. Some are able to visualize mana points in the darkness, which is already a notable advancement in their training. As people around them observe, confused by the training involving the five individuals submerged in water-filled holes, Carl reaches a level where he no longer needs to enter the water to sense the presence of mana. He continues practicing with his legs crossed on the bed, strengthening his connection with magical energy.

Drawing on his own success and deep understanding of mana manipulation, Carl refines his technique for mana condensation in the sword. He trains relentlessly, focusing on gathering and directing magical energy to his blade. Eventually, he is able to condense small amounts of mana into his sword, which, combined with his strengthened body, allows him to cut down a large tree with a single strike.

With his subordinates gradually progressing and his own skills enhanced, Carl grows increasingly confident in his ability to lead his elite unit into future battles. After another month, Carl was cutting down trees like a madman to train his new mana-infused sword technique. All of his subordinates had managed to bring a mana point to the location where the mana core would be created. In another month, all of them would become awakened warriors, just like Carl and Erika. This was an incredible feat for the entire kingdom, to have an awakened warrior per city.

In the moments of downtime when he wasn't training himself or his subordinates, Carl spent time with Ray. She always showed genuine interest and happiness in Carl's achievements. He would never stop her, as Ray, despite being one of the lord's daughters, held little value to him. Being close to an awakened warrior like Carl was already an advantage for the lord.

Ray's days in the castle were tedious, as she didn't possess many skills. She spent most of her time idle, and when she spent time with Carl, she couldn't explain why it was so enjoyable to converse with that commoner. He spoke better than many nobles and held no prejudices against her, just as she didn't against him.

So, every time he invited her for tea and a chat, she promptly accepted. After all, there was nothing better to do.

In the third month since Carl joined the city's army, his second battle was approaching. His squad received a special mission: a group of bandits had raided a nearby village and kidnapped some young women. Carl was assigned to this mission alongside his subordinates. Only they would confront these bandits since they held the young women as hostages. A large group could alert them and lead to the execution of the captives.

The mission was difficult and highly dangerous, but Carl remained calm. Dealing with common bandits with his strength would be easy, but Ray didn't share the same confidence as Carl. As soon as she learned about this mission, she became worried and sought him out. She didn't know why she felt so anxious about it, but deep in her heart, a feeling for Carl had already blossomed.

Ray searched for Carl everywhere and finally found him buying black fabric at a store. Upon seeing Ray's expression, Carl instantly understood what was going through her mind, and his only reaction was to laugh.

Ray couldn't maintain her usual calm demeanor and started hitting Carl's chest. With teary eyes, she earnestly asked him to return alive. Carl was very confident, but seeing her reaction made his heart sway.

"Having someone who cares about you is indeed comforting," Carl said aloud.