Chapter 43: Breakthrough

The dust slowly began to settle. Through the thinning cloud, Kael’s silhouette gradually became visible. A faint layer of magical energy covered him from head to toe.

It was barely noticeable.

Compared to the mana output of stronger students at Astral Dominion Academy, it was probably laughably weak. There was no overwhelming pressure, no dazzling aura, and certainly nothing that would make anyone mistake him for some powerful mage.

But it was there and that was what was important.

Kael stared at his hands.

Thin strands of mana flowed around his fingers before sinking back into his body. He could feel it moving through his veins, mixing with the spiritual energy that had been circulating through his body since his meditation.

For several seconds, he simply stood there.

Then his eyes widened.

"Wait."

He slowly clenched his fist. The magical energy responded. His expression changed.

"No way."

Kael tried drawing more mana from his Hero Core.

Nothing happened at first. No matter how hard he concentrated, his Hero Core refused to produce even the smallest amount of usable mana. That was the reason the original Kael had been classified as an F-rank Hero Core user. It was also why his combat evaluations had been so terrible.

He had a Hero Core technically. But using it had been another matter entirely. But now... Mana flowed from his Hero Core. It was weak and unstable, almost like a stream that had only just begun to break through a dam, but Kael could feel every bit of it.

A grin slowly spread across his face.

"Hehe."

He looked at his hand again.

"So this is mana."

The words came out almost like he was talking to himself.

Kael could hardly believe it. The original Kael had spent so long being unable to summon even a trace of mana that actually feeling it move through his body was strangely surreal.

It reminded him of the first time he had successfully performed something he had assumed he would never be able to do.

Except this was much bigger.

This was his Hero Core finally responding. His breakthrough must have happened during his meditation.

The sudden increase in spiritual energy absorption had probably pushed his Hero Core past whatever limit had been holding it back. He simply hadn’t noticed because he had been too focused on the unfamiliar sensation of the 4-2-6 breathing technique and the Moonlit Blade technique drawing in spiritual energy in abundance.

Kael let out a quiet laugh.

"So that’s what happened."

He looked down at his hands again.

"After all that meditation, I actually got a breakthrough."

The Grimclaw Bear roared.

Kael’s smile froze.

He slowly turned his head. The enormous monster was still standing. Its fur was covered in dirt and blood, and several wounds marked its body. Its breathing had become heavier, but the crimson eyes glaring at Kael remained filled with murderous intent.

Kael blinked.

"Right."

He tightened his grip around his sword.

"Not exactly the best time to celebrate."

The Grimclaw Bear charged. Kael immediately moved. This time, something felt different. The moment he pushed his body forward, mana flowed through him together with his spiritual energy.

His body became lighter. His muscles responded faster. Even the movement of his feet felt more precise.

Kael’s eyes widened slightly.

"Oh."

The Grimclaw Bear’s claws came sweeping toward him. Kael shifted his weight and slipped past them. The claws cut through empty air. He spun around the monster’s side and swung his sword.

Fwoosh!

The blade struck the injured shoulder.

Blood splattered across the monster’s fur.

The Grimclaw Bear roared and twisted around, but Kael had already moved away. His eyes were focused.

’So this was what mana could do.’

There were obviously many ways to use it. The most obvious application was magic. Spells, techniques, enchantments, elemental attacks, and countless other abilities could be powered through mana.

But Kael knew that learning magic in reality was completely different from learning it in the game.

In Eclipse Hearts, learning a spell had been ridiculously simple.

Select the skill.

Press the button.

Congratulations. You now know how to use it.

Reality was considerably less convenient.

To properly learn a spell, a person had to understand its structure, memorize the necessary incantation, understand the flow of mana, control the required amount of power, and repeat the process until the spell could be activated naturally.

There was no convenient skill menu waiting to unlock another ability.

Kael had some knowledge of beginner-level spells from his memories of the game. He even knew several spells that would be useful for someone with a low-ranked Hero Core.

But knowing the theory and actually using magic were two completely different things.

He had never cast those spells before.

Trying to experiment with them in the middle of a fight against a Grimclaw Bear would be a fantastic way to get himself killed.

So he wasn’t going to do that.

Fortunately, mana had another use. A much simpler one. Instead of shaping mana into a spell, he could simply circulate it through his body.

It wasn’t complicated. It didn’t require an incantation either. And, most importantly, it was something he could actually control.

By allowing mana to circulate through his body, he could temporarily enhance his physical capabilities.

Kael had seen characters in the game use this technique countless times. He had simply never expected to experience it himself.

The Grimclaw Bear lunged again.

Kael stepped backward, then suddenly accelerated. His movement was faster than before. Not dramatically faster but enough. The difference between his body before and after the breakthrough was immediately obvious.

His acceleration had improved, his muscles responded more quickly to his thoughts, and his balance felt more stable. Even his sword seemed lighter in his hand.

Kael’s lips curled upward.

"Okay."

He narrowly avoided another claw.

"This is actually pretty useful."

The Grimclaw Bear slammed its paw into the ground. Kael jumped backward as the impact sent dirt flying. He landed several meters away and immediately lowered his center of gravity.

The monster charged again. Kael didn’t retreat this time. He moved toward it. The Grimclaw Bear raised its claws. At the last possible moment, he shifted to the side. The claws passed within inches of his body. Kael stepped onto the monster’s foreleg and used its momentum to propel himself upward.

His sword came down.

Slash!

The blade struck the already wounded shoulder.

The monster roared.

Kael landed behind it and immediately moved toward its injured hind leg.

That was the key.

His mana wasn’t strong enough to overpower the Grimclaw Bear. But it’s fine. He didn’t need to suddenly become stronger than the monster. He only needed enough power to bring his physical ability to the point where he could properly execute what he already knew.

The rest was up to his experience. Or, more accurately, game knowledge. Kael had fought monsters like this hundreds of times in Eclipse Hearts.

He knew the Grimclaw Bear’s behavior, how it reacted when injured, and which attacks followed one another. And most importantly, he knew what happened when its health dropped far enough.

The Grimclaw Bear entered its enraged state. Its roar shook the surrounding trees. The monster became noticeably faster. Its attacks grew more aggressive, and its movements became less predictable to someone unfamiliar with its behavior.

To Kael, however, it was very familiar.

The Grimclaw Bear suddenly lowered its body.

Kael’s expression was calm.

’Here it comes. Its final charge.’

The monster pushed against the ground with its remaining strength and launched itself forward.

Kael waited.

The distance disappeared rapidly.

Ten meters.

Five.

Three.

Two.

At the final moment, Kael stepped aside. The Grimclaw Bear passed him. Its injured hind leg was exposed. Kael turned with the monster. His sword drove into the wounded leg. The Grimclaw Bear lost its balance. Its enormous body dropped onto one knee.

Kael immediately moved. The monster’s neck was exposed. He didn’t waste the opportunity. His sword flashed through the air.

Slash!

The blade cut deeply into its neck.

The Grimclaw Bear released one final agonizing roar. Then its enormous body collapsed onto the forest floor.

Boom!

The impact shook the dirt beneath Kael’s feet. Then silence returned to the forest. Kael remained standing several meters away. The thin layer of mana still flickered around his body.

For a few seconds, he simply stared at the corpse. Then he slowly lowered his sword. His breathing was heavy. Every muscle in his body hurt. His arms felt like they had been filled with lead, and his legs were beginning to tremble from exhaustion.

But despite all of that, Kael couldn’t stop smiling.

He had done it.

He had defeated a Grimclaw Bear alone.

More importantly...

He could now use mana.

Kael looked down at his hands again. A faint amount of magical energy continued to circulate around his fingers.

He clenched his fist.

The mana responded.

A quiet laugh escaped him.

"Seriously..."

He shook his head.

"This world really doesn’t know how to give me a normal day."

He had spent months thinking his Hero Core was practically useless. Now, after one meditation session in this forest, it had suddenly awakened enough to produce mana.

Kael wasn’t stupid enough to assume that meant he had become overwhelmingly powerful.

Still far from it.

His mana output was still pathetic compared to talented students. His control was crude. He didn’t know any proper spells yet. And judging from how quickly the fight had drained him, maintaining the enhancement for an extended period would probably be difficult.

Still, it was a beginning.

Kael looked toward the Grimclaw Bear.

"Now comes the annoying part."

His smile faded slightly.

Monsters like this usually drop valuable materials.

In the game, that had been simple.

Defeat the monster. Collect the loot. Move on.

Reality apparently hadn’t bothered to include the convenient part. Kael walked toward the corpse and crouched beside it.

He stared at the enormous body. Then at his sword. Then back at the corpse.

"Do I just... cut it open?"

He sighed.

"Yeah. Of course I do."

There was no glowing loot window. No automatic inventory collection. No convenient notification telling him which part was valuable. If the Grimclaw Bear had anything useful inside its body, he was going to have to figure it out himself. Kael stared at the corpse for another few seconds.

The breakthrough had been exciting, and defeating the monster had felt great, but now Kael had another problem. He had absolutely no idea how to properly butcher a beast like this.