Author's Note: We are now back to the present time. Just for clarification, only a few weeks have passed since Chapter 54: Am I Allowed To Be Able To Do This?!
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Do you know what I am doing?
If you ask that question, then I will gladly answer it. You see, right now, I am on the ground. Why am I on the ground exactly? To answer that, you must use your imagination to figure out what kind of chain of events happened before this. I am not spitting total bullshit either as I remember Sigma, you know, the smartest one out of all of the Generals, say something related to that.
She said that the true sign of intelligence doesn't come from books, records, or knowledge as a whole at all. Instead, she said that it came from our imaginations. Fun, right? I believe that it means that intelligence doesn't come from the facts that we merely memorize as information, but from our imagination and how we use these facts to solve a problem.
After all, there is always more than one way to solve a problem. It is pretty amazing how so many of the thought-provoking quotes I know were said by people I knew. I was blessed to have known such wise people.
...
Fine, I'll tell you what happened. Ever since I have found out that I was able to channel the stored Mana inside of the gem stone I found in Calido's ruins into Aether, I have been training myself to be able to use it. It is still pretty hard for me to control it, even after a few weeks of trying to control it. I don't really understand why it's very hard but, it is probably because of the fact that I was not born with Mana.
I probably lack the ability to control or regulate the amount of Mana that goes into my sword because I myself never had to use Mana before. Another plausible reason is because the Mana I am trying to control is not even mine. Maybe it is because the Mana is actually Mana from Calido. He said that the gem stone not only housed his soul but also sapped his Mana the entire time his soul was inside; it still does even now.
He said that the reason why the restoration of his new soul was taking so long was because the gem stone was still absorbing some of the Mana that he is producing to fill up the parts of his soul that came from me. I know I am saying that I am trying to control the Mana from a Divine Beast but, it is not like some sort of dangerous ritual involving me trying to stop my sword from burning.
Actually, there is no fire to begin with. It is more like my sword is being heated up a lot, but not enough that is burns me. You see, I already said that the sword uses Mana from Calido to actually burn. That means, the restoration will take much longer if I continue to use it so many times. And, since I want his Mana to be restored all the way, I only heat up my sword. So, that's the whole reason why I am just lying on the ground.
Shall I continue trying to master this amazing power? Still, I can't get over the fact that I am actually being allowed by the gods to have such power over all of these things. And so, I continued my training for the rest of the afternoon in the company of Calido. I continued this daily routine for many months until, you guessed it, the 8th Month.
Hah, you thought I was about to say the 9th Month just now, right! Well, that didn't happen as I got a punishment for doing something that was, well, against the morals of most of the people that were present there. At least, in the swirling chaos that was my mind at that time, I was able to earn something of value. (This part went into 3rd person so in the next chapter, it will show Alex doing the act that earned him a punishment in 1st person)
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It's been a very long time since I have started joining the training sessions before the Proving. I will finish all of them in just the next few days as the 8th Month is nearing it's end as it is already the 16th Day of the 8th Month. Just a few more days until our one-week break before the actual test.
In just a few weeks, I will have accomplished one of my very important goals. However, I can't slack off because of that as I still want to finish a secondary goal. My primary one is to pass the Proving. The secondary one that I want to do is to win first place in the Proving. No one can blame me as I am pretty sure that everyone else in my section are vying for first place as well.
Just wanting to become the number one isn't enough as this isn't just some game of luck. You need to work hard to actually win. That is what separates the wheat from the chaff. Everyone wants to win so, the only thing that is allowing only one person to win is the effort that was put in. And, in that field, I am an expert as I have been training for nearly my entire life, on different things.
Maybe I should start working on all of my sword techniques now. Do you know why? Well, do you remember my chain of combination attacks against the Forgeclaw nearly 4 years ago? I remember every single detail of that battle. I was able to combine the stances of Light Surge, Sharp Knocker, Raging Waterfall, Sonic Punisher, Shooting Star, and Howling Impact. That was a very powerful combination, if I do say so myself but, even when powered up by Death God's energy, I still wasn't able to kill it.
If I remember correctly, when I first had my dream about Ignis Drakonis, he said something, though I wasn't able to hear it clearly. When I asked Calido about it, he said that he was merely thanking me for killing the Ruins Guardian. I asked him how he was able to do it and, lo and behold, I found out that he had yet another ability.
He was able to create a projection of his soul using the little Mana he had left and sent it to my head. When I heard that explanation, the only thing I thought of was, "Wait, your soul is literally a dragon surrounded by fire?!". Moving on, it seems like that Forgeclaw was actually the Guardian of the his Ruins, which means something very bad for me.
It means that I have to fight at least 4 other creatures of that level for every Divine Beast Ruins I found. And, I don't think I will be getting any help from Death God or from some random lightning strike*.
But, that is just another challenge, not a disaster. A disaster is something of epic proportions that can not be stopped by humans. A challenge, on the other hand, is merely one of the tests one must go pass to go through life. And, for me, my life is only about saving the world, so I actually need to get stronger fast.
"We know what you are! Stay away from here!"
Huh?
What is that? Some sort of weird practice around here? Well, there's no time like the present so, might as well check this out. I think it is coming from the central plaza? Why would there be some sort of demonstration there? Is it to attract a lot of attention?
"Citizens of Quaran, do not be fooled by appearances. Just a few days ago, I have witnessed the truth. The truth is something everyone deserves to know. That is why, I am telling all of you that this girl, the daughter of Lord Elsher, is a demon!"
No way, what?!
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*In Chapter 18, Death God Returns, Alex doesn't actually kill the Forgeclaw. Instead, a rogue thunderbolt killed it for him.