Training

The next morning, at dawn with the first rays of sun, Aethereis slowly opened his eyelids, feeling refreshed after a night of rest. He leaned against the headboard and smoothed his hair. Then, he got out of bed, and as he walked, a black pajama draped his naked body.

Descending the stairs, Aethereis walked towards the basement of the house, where the training room was located. He entered through a door that looked different from the others and descended stairs into a large rectangular room at least two hundred meters long. The walls were made of white metal, giving it an elegant look.

To the left was a shelf with some weapons arranged and some training dummies. After surveying the training room, Aethereis asked the system, "System, what do I need to do to be able to cast spells like that rabbit?"

[There are three fundamental steps to perform a magical spell; for aura, it is a similar but different process.]

[The first step is called mana sense: achieved by sensing mana around before forming the first star, something the host has already done]

[The second step involves moving mana out of its core and circulating it through mana veins]

[The third step is manifestation: where mana manifests physically, creating spells by visualizing the form you wish to give them]

[Host, you should try to move mana from your core and circulate it through your veins. Note that when attempting to create a spell, you can decide what attribute to give it.]

Following the system's advice, Aethereis focused on moving mana from his core. Unexpectedly, he could move mana with ease, as if it were another limb of his body. Commanding the mana to flow through his veins, he felt his body slightly warm as mana circulated throughout.

Choosing to attempt using the darkness attribute, Aethereis pondered what to create. Recalling the rabbit's ability, he wished for several short swords to materialize. The swords appeared, but their shape was crude and fragile, as if forged by a novice blacksmith for the first time.

[Ability created: F-rank "Darkness Swords"]

Aethereis commanded the swords to strike one of the training dummies. With a swift motion, the motionless swords flew towards the dummy. However, upon contact, the swords shattered into pieces without leaving a scratch on the surface.

Feeling the mana loss from his core, Aethereis calculated he could cast two more spells before being completely drained. For the second spell, he focused on refining the swords, giving them a more polished form. He increased the mana concentration to enhance their hardness. This time, he reduced the number of swords to six from fifteen in the previous attack.

Taking two swords in hand, Aethereis propelled himself forward. In less than a second, he was in front of the dummy, delivering a strong stab to its chest. With a dull sound, the swords met the dummy's chest.

Despite using all his strength, the dummy remained intact. Examining the swords, Aethereis noticed that although they didn't break like before, they had several cracks on the blade surface.

After allowing his core to fully replenish, Aethereis conducted several more tests, refining the swords and increasing their durability. Deciding to pause the training, Aethereis exited the training room. Glancing out of a window, he realized it was already noon.

Deciding to take a shower before heading to the adventurers' guild to register completed missions, Aethereis walked to the second floor. Entering the bathroom, he prepared the shower, letting cold water flow as he removed his armor.

Finishing his shower, Aethereis exited the bathroom already clad in lightweight armor. He left the house and headed towards the guild.

Walking through the bustling city streets, Aethereis heard nothing new or interesting this time. Upon arriving at the guild, he noticed the building was more crowded than usual. Inside, he made his way to the mission completion counter, where a beautiful receptionist greeted him with a professional smile.

"Good afternoon, how can I assist you today?" asked the receptionist.

"I've completed several missions and I'm here to register them," replied Aethereis, handing over the scrolls while retrieving a bag containing proof of subjugation.

The receptionist reviewed the scrolls and then took the bag, starting to count the monster parts. After a few minutes, she signed the scrolls as completed. "In total, there are forty-six goblin ears, fifty-six wolf fangs, and forty horned rabbit horns," she said, returning the scrolls to him. "You can proceed to my colleague and collect your rewards for completing the missions, just hand her the scroll," the receptionist continued.

"And what if I have monster skins, where can I sell them?" asked Aethereis. After all, the skins would be of no use to him.

The receptionist nodded and pointed towards a door on the right side of the guild. "You can take them to the appraisal room, just through that door. There you'll find someone who can assess them and make you an offer."

Aethereis thanked the receptionist and headed towards the appraisal room. Upon entering, he was greeted by a less crowded but equally active room. A middle-aged scholarly-looking man welcomed him.

"Good afternoon. Do you have materials for evaluation?" the man asked, adjusting his glasses.

"Yes, I have several monster skins," replied Aethereis, pulling out a large bag from his storage ring, releasing a strong smell of blood.

Unfazed by the smell, the man took the bag and began examining the skins carefully, running his expert hands over the material and assessing their quality. "These goblin skins are in very good condition. I see you also have wolf and horned rabbit skins."

"How much are they worth?" asked Aethereis.

The man made some calculations before responding. "For the goblin skins, I can offer you fifteen silver coins each. Wolf skins are more valuable, so I can give you twenty silver coins each. The horned rabbit skins aren't very valuable as F-rank monsters, so I can offer you fifteen silver coins each."

Aethereis thought for a moment before accepting. "That sounds fair."

The man nodded and began counting the coins. "In total, it would be seven hundred and ninety silver coins."

Aethereis took the coins and stored the bag, satisfied with the transaction. "Thank you."

"A pleasure doing business with you. If you get more skins, feel free to bring them," he responded.

Aethereis nodded and left the appraisal room, returning to the main hall of the guild. He went to the rewards table and handed the scrolls to the receptionist's colleague. After collecting his rewards for the completed missions, he left the guild and headed to the market to search for ingredients, planning to spend the entire week training his spells.