Maeve and Dent stood facing each other in the middle of the training ground, neither of them moving.Maeve already knew the gap between them. Holding back would only waste time, so she intended to unleash everything she had from the very beginning.Dent, however, had a different purpose for arranging this spar.His eyes briefly drifted toward the edge of the training grounds.Just as he expected, two students had finished their own training and were leaving the neighboring field. The moment they noticed who was standing in the arena, both of them stopped in surprise.The academy’s principal.And the former vice president of the student council.It wouldn’t take long before rumors spread across campus.That was exactly what Maeve wanted.Now all Dent had to do was play his part.He smiled faintly before beckoning with one hand.“Come.”“Show me what you’ve learned.”Maeve nodded.Mana surged out of her body.She opened with two layers of Concentration, releasing a sweeping wave of forc

Just as Maeve and Dent had anticipated, the rumor spread throughout the academies over the next few days.Dent’s name alone carried enormous influence.If people believed he was finally accepting a personal disciple, the news was bound to travel far beyond the academy walls.It didn’t take long before the story reached the ears of the acting count of the Talen family.The moment he heard it, his face twisted with anger.He clenched his fists so tightly that his nails dug into his palms.“This is ridiculous.”“Why does everything keep going her way?”He paced across his office before forcing himself to calm down.“No.”“It’s still only a rumor.”“No one has confirmed she’s actually become Sage Dent’s disciple.”“There isn’t any proof.”He stopped beside the window and looked down at the battered city below.Although the city had survived the recent disaster, everyone knew why.The cloud-repelling device had saved them.Unfortunately for him…The person receiving all the gratitude wasn’

“What do you want to do now?” Anubis asked as he walked beside Rhys. “Gaelion and Syrax should still be sparring nearby.”Rhys thought for a moment.“I’m considering preparing my body to absorb the cores.”He paused almost immediately.“…Actually, no.”A frown slowly appeared on his face.“Can I even absorb Alpha-Class cores yet?”He rubbed his chin thoughtfully.“Now that I think about it…”“I never actually learned how to judge whether a body is strong enough to withstand the power contained inside a single core.”Anubis blinked before letting out a small laugh.“Oh.”“We were so focused on your innate ability and the summoning research that we completely forgot to ask Charlotte about that.”“Yeah.”Rhys nodded.“Still…”“I think I’d rather ask my teacher directly.”He glanced at Anubis.“You don’t have to come with me.”Anubis shook his head.“I don’t mind.”“If the discussion is about how the body works…”“I’d like to hear it too.”He smirked.“Who knows?”“I might even discover s

Rhys fell silent for a while before finally asking,“…So even with the herbs you’ve been giving me…”“It’s still impossible?”Wyndia shook her head without hesitation.“No.”“The gap is simply too large.”She drew another line across the diagram on the ground.“Think of it this way.”“If someone can safely absorb twelve Elite-Class cores over time…”“That’s already considered an excellent standard.”“We’ve used that benchmark for years.”She glanced at Rhys.“And even when someone wants to push themselves to the absolute limit…”“Ten cores at once is usually where we draw the line.”She smiled faintly.“Do you remember the first time you absorbed an Elite-Class core?”Rhys nodded.“I do.”“You were right at your limit.”“That’s why the pain was so unbearable.”She folded her arms.“Of course…”“Passing out isn’t necessarily dangerous.”“Your body doesn’t stop functioning just because you’ve lost consciousness.”“As long as your Mana veins are strong enough to contain the flow…”“They’

“…This…”Rhys stared at his hands in astonishment.He instinctively circulated the Mana flowing through his body.The difference became obvious almost immediately.The current that had once felt restricted now rushed through his body with remarkable ease. Every pathway felt wider, smoother, and far more responsive than before. He didn’t even need to measure it to realize the improvement. Compared to before, the amount of Mana he could circulate at once had increased by at least half.Wyndia smiled faintly.“Normally, people don’t notice this change.”“It happens little by little over many months.”“So your body gradually adapts to it.”She looked at him.“But what we did today skipped that entire process.”Her expression became serious again.“To be honest…”“If Anubis hadn’t been here…”“I don’t think there would’ve been any way for you to reach this stage within the next two months.”Rhys lowered his head.“…Sorry.”“I know I was being reckless.”Wyndia snorted.“You’re apologizing