Novels by balwi

The stone floor of his small storage-room-turned-dorm was cold, but the internal heat of the mana flowing through his core made it feel like a bed of embers. Raka shifted, his tired limbs aching with a rhythmic, pulsing throb. He stared at the ceiling, waiting for sleep to claim him, but the system had other plans.[SYSTEM ALERT: THRESHOLD REACHED.][NEW QUEST AVAILABLE: CLIMBING THE GALE.][OBJECTIVE: REACH THE SUMMIT OF THE ACADEMY PEAK DURING AN ONGOING STORM.][REWARD: PERMANENT MANA CAPACITY +10, ABILITY: STATIC SHIELD (Lv. 1).][WARNING: THE STORM IS NATURAL. IT WILL NOT SPARE THE WEAK.]Raka let out a ragged, dry laugh, the sound grating in the silent room. "You’ve got to be kidding me. Another one? My bones feel like they’re held together by sheer spite."“The storm does not care for your fatigue, vessel,” the voice of the god resonated in the hollows of his mind, cold and distant. “It waits for no one.”Raka rolled onto his side, propping his head up with a hand that still bu

The stone corridors of the Administrative Spire felt unnaturally cold, a sharp contrast to the humid, static-charged atmosphere of the training grounds. Raka walked between the two council enforcers, his boots echoing against the polished marble floor. He kept his hands loose at his sides, his fingers twitching occasionally—a subconscious habit born of his new affinity."Keep your head down, Raka," the guard on his left, a stern-faced senior named Harlen, muttered without looking back. "The President doesn't appreciate insolence. Especially from someone who spent the last three years decorating the bottom of the rankings."Raka glanced at the back of Harlen’s neck, feeling the faint, rhythmic pulse of the man’s mana. "I’m not here to be insolent. I’m here to tell the truth."Harlen laughed, a harsh sound that ricocheted off the high vaulted ceiling. "The truth? Three of our students are currently in the infirmary with nervous system shock, claiming you lashed out at them with some kin

The air in the hallway grew thick, heavy with the metallic tang of ozone and the frantic, unrefined mana leaking from the three boys blocking Raka’s path. The leader, a blocky youth with a sneer carved into his features, tightened his grip on his practice baton."You really think you're going to walk away, Raka?" he taunted, his knuckles white.Raka kept his eyes locked on the space between them. "I’m not looking for a fight. Move.""Hear that, guys?" the leader chuckled, glancing at his lackeys. "He’s asking nicely. Maybe we should be polite too? Maybe we should give him a little 'welcome back' present for his ego.""How about a rib check?" one of the others suggested, stepping forward with a malicious grin. "He’s been acting like he owns the place since he tapped Kael. It’s annoying.""I told you," Raka said, his voice dropping into that dangerous, calm register that had startled Thorne. "Move."The leader didn't wait. He lunged, swinging the wooden baton in a wide, whistling arc ai

The cool air of the evening did little to soothe the internal fire still raging beneath Raka’s skin. As he walked toward the secluded lower barracks of the Academy, he could feel the residual static clinging to his nerves like cobwebs. His hand, the one that had delivered the shock to Kael, felt heavy and numb."Focus, Raka," he whispered to himself, ducking into the dim, unused storage room he had commandeered for his private practice. "You aren't a bucket anymore. You're a channel."He slumped against the cold stone wall, sliding down until he hit the floor. The exhaustion was setting in, a thick, cloying sensation that threatened to drag his consciousness into the void, but the System’s notifications were persistent, a faint, rhythmic pinging in the back of his skull.[SYSTEM ALERT: VITALITY REGENERATION AT 62%.][CURRENT MANA STATUS: DEPLETED. RECOVERING...]"Still crawling back," Raka grunted, closing his eyes. "At this rate, I’ll be back to fighting strength by morning. But if I

The air in the Simulation Hall grew heavy, the ozone from Raka’s palm tangling with the golden, holy aura radiating from Kael’s blade. Master Thorne watched from the edge of the platform, his arms folded, his eyes narrowing as he sensed the unnatural friction building in the center of the ring."Is that all, Raka?" Kael sneered, his blade swinging in a wide, sweeping arc meant to catch Raka in the ribs. "You’ve spent all your time playing with lightning, and now you think you can just stand there?"Raka didn’t pull away. He didn't even blink. He felt the hum of the static beneath his skin—a constant, rhythmic vibration that reached out beyond his own physical form, tethering him to the environment. He could feel the movement of the air pushed by Kael’s sword long before the steel actually arrived."I don't need to play, Kael," Raka said, his voice dropping into a calm, hollow register.He leaned back, his movement fluid and unnatural, and watched the tip of the blade whistle past his

The void of the system’s darkness finally receded, replaced by the sterile, flickering glow of the luminescent stones embedded in the Academy’s Simulation Hall ceiling. Raka groaned, his back hitting the cold, sanded wood of the training floor. His bones felt like they had been reassembled by a blind blacksmith, but beneath the ache, a hum of vibrant, electric energy pulsed in time with his heartbeat.He stared at the translucent, hovering screen that only he could see.[SYSTEM ALERT: ASCENSION TO THUNDER-BRINGER PATH INITIATED.][PASSIVE ABILITY ACQUIRED: CONDUCTOR (Lv. 1)][EFFECT: DRASTICALLY REDUCES MANA COST FOR THUNDER-ATTUNED SPELLS. INCREASES RECOVERY RATE BY 5.]"Conductor," Raka whispered, his voice raspy. He sat up, shivering as he felt a faint arc of blue light skip across his knuckles. "Finally. Something that isn't just trying to kill me.""You look like a shipwrecked sailor who crawled through a chimney, Raka," a voice drawled from the doorway.Raka looked up to see Kae