The first light of the day hadn't even brushed the academy walls when Kaelen's opened his eyes.
For a moment, he stayed still, listening to his own breathing. He felt the faint strain from the previous night's cultivation beneath his skin.
He swung his legs out of bed, the floor felt cold beneath his bare feet. The system's daily quest prompt flashed, as unwavering as ever.
[Daily Quest: Strive for Strength]
10 Push-ups | 10 Pull-ups | 1 Mile Run
Reward: +30 XP | +1 Stat Point
Penalty for Failure: Stat Reduction (-1 Random Stat)
He exhaled through his nose, a cloud of mist puffed out. "Might as well get to it."
The air outside was chill, thick with mist still clinging to the courtyard stones. The academy grounds were silent except for his footsteps. He dropped to the ground and pushed through the routine with a smooth, practiced pace.
Ten push-ups.
Ten pull-ups.
One mile around the perimeter.
The strain from the night clung to him at first, but as he continued, his limbs loosened, his steps grew lighter, and the early discomfort faded into the background. His body was adapting, that much he could feel.
By the time he reached the courtyard gate again, beads of sweat rolled down his face in steady lines.
[Daily Quest Complete]
Reward: +30XP | +1 Stat Point
He didn't linger in the moment. There was no time to savor anything with the clock ticking down.
He headed back inside, washed up quickly, and changed into his academy uniform. The mirror beside his bed caught the faint smudge of exhaustion under his eyes, but everything else was the same: stubborn expression, dark hair slightly messy, shoulders squared more out of necessity than confidence.
He grabbed his bag and stepped out.
...
Classes felt longer than usual, even though he knew they weren't.
The problem wasn't the classes—Professor Nyra's lecture on aether resonance was interesting enough. The problem was the timer carved into his thoughts.
[Main Quest: Foundation Under Pressure
Break through the latent level in a week]
[Time Remaining: 14 Hour(s), 12 Minute(s), 21 Second(s)]
Every time his focus slipped, the system reminded him.
At one point, he stared forward without hearing a single word from the lecturer. His mind had simply drifted into a haze of numbers, and the quiet dread of the penalties that awaited him if he failed.
"Mr. Burn."
Kaelen blinked. The lecture hall was silent. Every student in his row was looking at him. Professor Nyra stood at the front, one eyebrow arched, her tail flickering.
"I asked for the standard stabilization sequence following a minor channel tear. Would you care to enlighten the class?"
"...Crystals are best used for weapons?"
Professor Nyra scrutinized Kaelen, her ears twitching lightly,"It appears you aren't with us, please focus."
"I am so—"
"Apologies doesn't build your attention, Focus does." She cut him off. "As i was saying—"
Sera glanced at him with raised brows, silently asking if he was alright. Kaelen just nodded and looked forward again. No point explaining anything when the truth sounded ridiculous.
He forced himself through the rest of the classes, taking notes even when his mind struggled to keep up. Anything to keep himself moving until the afternoon.
When the final lecture ended, he didn't waste time.
He headed straight for the training room.
...
Suprisingly, Sera was already there. Kaelen was sure he left before her. She stood near the center of the room, her silver hair tied into braids, her arms crossed, watching a dummy reset into standby. This one wasn't the basic model from before. Its frame was sleeker, reinforced with metal plates along the arms and torso. A thin glow lined its joints, signaling active processors.
You're late," she said, though he wasn't.
"You're early," he replied, dropping his bag by the door.
"I have never being late previously," She tapped the control panel beside her. "Come on. We're doing structured drills today."
The dummy powered up with a whir, stepping into a combat-ready stance. Sera flicked a second switch, and a holographic projection shimmered over its surface—broad shoulders, heavier build, and the faint shoulder-dip pattern Kaelen had studied yesterday.
Jax.
Or an imitation of him.
He stared for half a second. "You programmed it?"
"I observed your attempts yesterday, and met with that guy, short, shy type. Good with tech—" She tilted her head "What was he called again?"
"You met with Daniel?" Kaelen replied puzzled.
She pinched the bridge of her nose."Yeah, that one." Sera continued. "You were trying to replicate someone's fighting style. If you're going to prepare, do it properly."
"So... you got a new robot that mimics Jax, and how does that connect to Daniel?" Kaelen asked.
Sera replied with a light exhale,"Correction... it does not specifically mimic Jax."
"I didn't say that."
"Let me speak," Sera said with a light but firm tone.
"I've never thought much about it, but she's really cute. And this even makes her a lot cuter."
"What is it you're thinking ?" Sera asked, scanning him.
"Freak, she read my thoughts." Kaelen gave a wry smile."Nothing."
Sera sighed pulling her braids,"You're weird."
"Coming from you is—"
She stared at the robot,"The robot is C-ranked. Not, D-ranked like the previous." She continued. "As for Daniel, i got him to compile a code that simulates Jax's fighting style into the robot. It will imitate Jax's technique. He is pretty good to complete it on such short notice, thank him when you see him."
"You did that for me?" Kaelen let a wide smile touch his lips.
"Don't be flustered, let's begin." She replied dismissively.
The dummy stepped forward, its weight shifting with that subtle pre-attack imbalance—the quick feint dip.
Kaelen braced himself.
The dummy struck.
Kaelen blocked late, barely twisting aside before the force grazed his arm.
[–7 HP]
Sera sighed,"You saw the shift. Start reacting when the weight moves, not when the attack is already thrown."
He exhaled, grounded his stance, and faced the dummy again.
This time, he mirrored the dummy's shoulder dip. The attack came. He parried, but the counter was off-timed, and the dummy pushed him off-balance with a heavy shove.
He caught himself before hitting the floor.
Sera circled him. "Jax fights with confidence. Not arrogance. Confidence. You won't win by matching his strength. Dont mimic him, use what's best for you. You're Chronomancer, fight like one."
Kaelen nodded and stepped back into form.
The dummy lunged again.
Kaelen reacted manipulating aether into a shield, attempting to shift his weight, but his timing was a fraction too slow. The dummy's fist connected with devastating force, shattering his fragile aether shield and slamming him against the wall.
CRACK
BAM
[–30 A.E]
[–10 HP]
He pushed himself up, his ribs was aching.
The third attempt was better. He shifted his center of gravity, but he hesitated, fearing the powerful connection. The dummy corrected itself instantly and delivered a rapid chop to his shoulder.
[–15 HP]
"Hesitation is defeat," Sera said, her voice dropping slightly. She walked closer. "Your enemy is confident. He expects you to be overwhelmed by his presence. If you move, move like you belong there. Commit, or don't move at all."
The drill resumed—
feint
attack
weight shift
counter
sidestep
reset
Over and over.
The dummy didn't slow. Its movements were sharp, controlled, and dangerous. The first several rounds left him stumbling back, blocking too late or slipping into the wrong angle.
But as the session continued, he started using his head, he had to find his own unique patterns. He was a Chronomancer, he should react better.
[Chrono-Perception Lv. 1: Heightens time awareness. No A.E cost]
[Spatial Awareness Lv. 1: Innate spatial sensing; detects distortions/positions. No A.E cost]
He used the combination of Chrono-perception and Spatial awareness to sharpen his reactions.
He started predicting the shoulder dip.
He saw the way the hips followed.
He recognized the angle of the dominant foot.
He cut in faster.
Moved lighter.
Struck cleaner.
Not perfect, but better.
Sweat rolled down his back. His arms ached, but the ache was productive, the kind that signaled improvement rather than damage.
Sera watched him with her usual unreadable expression. "Again."
The dummy lunged.
[Flash Step Lv. 1: A high-speed dash for evasion or repositioning.
[–20 A.E]
[–10 A.E]
He poured aether into his legs and combined it with Flash Step Lv.1 for accelerated burst of movement.
He slipped inside the sweeping attack. The body check, meant for his chest, whistled past his ear. He was momentarily in the dummy's blind spot, perfectly positioned for a counter-strike.
[–17 A.E]
He coated his arms in aether, and responded with a quick, forceful jab, aiming for what would be Jax's exposed ribcage.
BAM
The dummy staggered, its internal mechanisms whirring in protest.
Before it could regain its stance, he struck he dummy's chest plate with a heavy blow.
BAM
It fell immediately.
Sera raised a brow. "Good. You're finally reacting instead of flinching."
He nodded. He was currently hunched panting.
They continued until his muscles trembled.
Sera shut the dummy down and stepped back. "That's enough."
Kaelen grabbed his towel and wiped the sweat from his face.
As he turned to leave, Sera spoke again.
"You're improving fast. Don't waste it."
"Fast enough to beat you in combat?" He replied with a smirk.
"Do you want to test it~?" She said with a crippling smile.
"N–No..."
...
The academy grounds were painted gold by the evening sun. The air had cooled again, but his sweats from training still clung to his skin.
Walking back to his dorm felt strange—the world was calm, students moved in pairs or groups, talking about homework, gossip, upcoming events. Ordinary things.
Meanwhile, his own countdown pulsed behind his eyes like a heartbeat.
[Time Remaining: 6 Hour(s), 14 Minute(s), 09 Second(s)]
He unlocked his door, stepped inside, and closed the door behind him.
Silence wrapped the room.
He set his bag down and reached for the Harmonizing Stone. Its surface shifted with a soft glow when he touched it, a smooth pulse running through his fingertips.
He sat cross-legged, placing the stone before him.
"This is it."
He inhaled slowly.
Opened his aether channels.
Let the world fade.
...
Cultivation wasn't a peaceful process tonight.
Not even close.
At first, the energy moved steadily, flowing along his veins with a rhythm he'd grown used to. The Harmonizing Stone synced with his breathing, smoothing minor ripples and aligning his internal flow.
But as he pushed deeper.
Aether surged through him with rising intensity, filling his veins until they vibrated. His chest tightened. His muscles locked in place. Sweat beaded instantly along his brow.
His channels stretched.
Then stretched further.
A low burn spread through his arms and spine, like his aether veins were widening faster than his body could adjust.
He gritted his teeth. "Keep going."
He was already in for hours.
The moment he reached the threshold, everything inside him convulsed.
Aether cramped around his core, dense enough to feel like molten metal pouring into a too-small space. His breath hitched. The Harmonizing Stone pulsed, stabilizing the edges of the flow but unable to fully rein in the raw expansion tearing through him.
His muscles tightened, then spasmed. His fingers curled downward, nails digging into the mat. His back arched as energy forced its way through channels that hadn't grown enough to welcome this stage.
He was currently undergoing a form of metamorphosis.
Aether crashed into him again, this time sweeping up his spine and exploding behind his eyes with white-hot brilliance. His vision blurred. His heartbeat thudded against the strain.
His throat tightened.
Another wave hit.
His body felt like it was splitting open from the inside. Not literally, but the sensation was close enough that his breath turned ragged. Every inch of him trembled as aether carved new pathways through his channels.
His core compressed.
Then expanded.
Then compressed again.
Heat rolled through him, followed by cold, followed by a crushing pressure that nearly forced him out of focus.
He ground his teeth and forced his mind to stay anchored. If he lost concentration now, the process would collapse, and the backlash might put him in the infirmary—or worse.
His vision dimmed.
His pulse pounded against the inside of his skull.
The room felt distant, and the only thing grounding him was the warm glow of the Harmonizing Stone, pulsing in uneven waves as it tried desperately to keep his unraveling aether in rhythm.
Another surge slammed into him.
His head jerked forward. A raw sound escaped him before he could suppress it.
His aether veins widened again—far too fast.
His breath was ragged.
His body locked entirely, frozen mid-cultivation as though suspended in solid energy.
Then the pressure collapsed inward.
Aether flooded to his core, spinning violently, condensing into a tight, swirling mass that vibrated like a storm trapped behind his ribs.
Everything went silent.
His hearing muted.
His breath slowed.
His heartbeat steadied into a strange, heavy rhythm.
Then—
A deep internal crack.
Followed by a flash.
The aether inside him erupted outward in a shockwave he couldn't hear but felt ripple through every cell of his body.
Kaelen gasped, choking on air, his lungs were burning. He was shaking uncontrollably, his muscles spasming, every limb trembling. Cold sweat drenched him, plastering his hair to his face, chilling him to the bone despite the lingering internal heat. His entire body felt alien, both incredibly powerful and incredibly fragile, as if it had been stretched and warped into a new, unfamiliar form.
For a split second, everything was weightless.
The energy settled abruptly, falling into place like a puzzle snapping into its final image.
Kaelen gasped and pulled in a harsh breath as the world came back into focus.
He didn't move right away. Couldn't, really. His body was still shaking, caught between exhaustion and the remnants of forced evolution.
When he finally tried to sit upright, a wave of dizziness hit him hard.
He had broken through.
[Main Quest: Foundation Under Pressure – Complete]
[Rewards: +100XP | +5 Stat Points | Random Skill Upgrade Pending...]
[Calculating...]
[Aether Manipulation has been upgraded from Lv. 2 to Lv. 3.]
The last thing he saw was the bright flicker of the system interface.
Then his strength vanished, and he collapsed.