CHAPTER 45: RESOLVE AND MOTIVATION

Amon was currently training.

Inside the academy’s training grounds, particularly in one of the gyms, he was putting his body through harsh exercises. Pushups, drills, lifting barbells—anything that could help him get used to his body again.

His wounds had completely healed.

"Feels better than ever," Amon muttered with satisfaction, sweat dripping down his forehead.

He could feel it clearly. He was getting stronger—at a pace that surprised even him.

Not long ago, he had been summoned by the Headmistress to her office. She had asked him to recount the entire dungeon incident. Amon had answered everything honestly. Well, almost everything. He didn’t bother talking about Hector’s life story or anything unnecessary.

After all, a dead man was just that—dead. Nothing more, nothing less.

For his efforts, he had received a handsome reward 200 credits.

Right now, though, rewards didn’t matter. Amon dropped to the ground and continued his pushups, his breath steady, his muscles straining with each repetition. He moved on to drills, sit-ups, squats, and then grabbed the barbells again.

He wasn’t just exercising his body—he was building his resolve.

"Hah... but there’s one thing bothering me," Amon whispered to himself, resting for a moment.

When Hector had been defeated—heavily injured by Arnold—Amon had noticed something strange. Hector hadn’t been wearing his storage ring.

Isabel had even asked Amon if he found anything on Hector’s body. The only thing Amon had retrieved was the artifact, which was already in the academy’s possession.

’Could Arnold have taken Hector’s storage ring?’ Amon thought, frowning.

But then he shook his head and pushed the thought away.

"More than that... Arnold and Seraphina actually broke through to Mana Initiate rank inside the dungeon," he muttered, gritting his teeth.

His eyes burned with determination.

"I’ll reach that level too. No matter what."

Dropping back down, he resumed his exercises. "Three hundred pushups... three hundred sit-ups... thirty kilometers—" he stopped mid-sentence, realizing. "Okay, too much. Let’s make it ten kilometers a day."

After finishing a set, he exhaled deeply and decided to check his Status Window.

----

[Status Window]

Name: Amon Vale

Age: 17

Rank: Awakened

Class: Death Bearer

Element: Shadow, Darkness

Mana: 90

Strength: 31

Agility: 36

Speed: 34

Endurance: 18

Skills: [Basic Swordsmanship]

Spells: [Gloom Orb], [Shadow Clutch], [Mana Bullets], [Shadow Claw]

----

"Not bad~," Amon said with a satisfied grin.

His progress was visible. His stats were steadily climbing.

Closing the window, he picked up his training again. His heart beat with confidence, his spirit burning with desire.

"Let’s start with ten kilometers—no, twenty kilometers!"

Without hesitation, Amon dashed out of the gym and began running around the academy grounds. The sun had dipped low; it was already four in the evening. But he didn’t care. His body was tired, but his will was unshaken.

He would get stronger. Stronger than anyone.

"Hah... hah..."

By the time he was done, Amon collapsed on the training ground, lying flat and breathing heavily. His chest rose and fell as if it would burst.

Other students passed by, sparing him weird glances. To them, he probably looked like a lunatic who had overdone it.

Amon groaned and tried to sit up, his entire body trembling from exhaustion.

And that was when his eyes caught sight of someone entering the training ground.

It was her—his partner, Seraphina.

Even though he was half-dead from fatigue, Amon waved a hand in her direction.

Seraphina, spotting him, blinked once before walking toward him with her usual calm expression.

"What are you doing laying there, sitting in the middle of the ground?" she asked as she approached. Extending her hand, she helped him to his feet.

Amon groaned but managed to stand up with her support. "I just finished my training. Was tired, so I lay down for a bit," he said as if it were perfectly normal.

Seraphina studied him quietly for a moment before shaking her head. "Do you want to train with me? You look tired, so you can decline if you want."

Amon thought for a moment before giving an honest answer. "I’m pretty drained physically. Honestly, I don’t think I can train alongside you right now."

She nodded, not surprised.

But then, after a pause, she spoke again. "Hey... do you know how to use mana to enforce your weapon? In other words, to coat your sword with mana so it becomes stronger and more lethal?"

Amon froze. Then, with a forced smile, he replied, "I don’t know....I’ve tried... but it’s not perfect. The mana doesn’t stay properly on my sword."

"I thought so," Seraphina said, her tone neutral. "More than anything, you possess very little mana." She nodded once more. "Fine. Let me teach you today."

Amon’s eyes lit up instantly. "Yes! Yes! Let’s do it!"

He was excited.

She turned and walked toward the sword practice hall. Amon followed eagerly behind her.

Inside, Amon grabbed a training sword, gripping it tightly with both hands.

"Now listen carefully," Seraphina instructed. "Since you already know how to conjure spells, you should understand how to coat your sword with mana. It’s the same principle."

She pointed toward the blade.

"Draw your mana out of your body. Guide it to your hands, through your palms, and then flow it into the blade. Slowly wrap the sword in your mana. That’s it. Simple, isn’t it? Now try."

Amon nodded. Closing his eyes, he began to control his mana, guiding it carefully. From his heart, through his veins, down into his palms—until it finally flowed into the sword.

Blue light flickered faintly across the blade as mana wrapped around it.

’Damn, this takes too much mana!’ Amon thought, sweat dripping from his face.

But he didn’t let go. His full concentration locked onto the sword, shaping the mana to cling perfectly to the blade.

The sword glowed faintly, though the mana wavered and flickered as if about to disperse.

"You’re doing it right," Seraphina encouraged calmly. "Don’t lose focus. Enforce it. Make it one with the sword."

Amon steadied his breathing, focusing harder. He shut out all distractions. At this moment, only the sword and his mana existed.

Slowly, the mana stabilized, coating the blade evenly.

"Good. Now, strike that dummy," Seraphina instructed.

Amon turned toward the wooden dummy nearby. Stepping forward, he swung diagonally with all his strength.

A blue clean trajectory formed.

Slash!

The glowing blade cut through the dummy cleanly, splitting it into two halves.

"Haha! I did it!" Amon shouted, breathing heavily. His face broke into a wide grin. "I really did it! In just one attempt!"

Seraphina gave a rare, small smile.

Overjoyed, then his expression changed. Amon suddenly put on a serious face. "Oh no... I might be too talented. If this keeps up, I’ll become too strong for my own good."

Seraphina nearly lost her balance at his words.

"Amon, don’t get carried away," she said flatly. "It’s not your first attempt. You’ve tried this before, remember? The only reason you failed earlier was because you didn’t have enough mana. But now, your mana has increased."

Amon’s triumphant mood immediately deflated. He was on nine cloud only to get fallen by Seraphina.

"Hey, I know that... I was just trying to motivate myself by saying I’m talented," he said, sighing.

Seraphina chuckled softly at his antics.

"That’s enough for today. Go rest. As for me, I need to continue my training. Since I’m a Mana Initiate now, I have to adjust to my new strength."

Amon nodded. He knew that after breaking through, both mana capacity and physical strength surged drastically, and it took time to adapt. Plus, Seraphina could now learn intermediate spells.

’She must have gained new abilities as well. But I won’t pry into her personal powers,’ Amon thought.

"Well then, work hard. I’ll head back to my room. Bye~"

"Mm. Bye," Seraphina replied.

With a smile, Amon left the training hall, heading back to the academy dorms to rest.