C581 Tests
The break given by Ambassador Abores allowed Khan to relax and focus on his situation. He didn't only have Mister Cirvags' offer to consider. The conversation with Monica had also opened a new path that required tests.
The first issue was easy to clear once Khan took the time to consider it properly. Mister Cirvags' offer would split him from Ambassador Abores, solving the internal conflict caused by Neuria's events.
Moreover, the mission in Cegnore involved Khan's main goal. It could bring new leads on his search for the Nak. Even if Mister Cirvags was untrustworthy, Khan couldn't ignore that opportunity.
Accepting Mister Cirvags' offer pushed Khan's thoughts to the next problem. Cegnore was a battlefield that the Thilku struggled to dominate. He needed to get stronger to affect that environment.
That new problem was connected to the conversation with Monica, and Khan only knew one way to tackle it. As the weekend approached, he reserved one afternoon to spend that time in a training hall.
Due to the nature of the training session, Khan opted for one of the best halls in the Harbor. He even used the network to help with that choice, and entering it cleared most of his worries.
The training hall was vast, with chaos-resistant materials reinforcing its surfaces. The place lacked stalls, and its menus offered a broader set of fighting programs. Khan could also customize the metal puppets if needed, but that option was useless now.
'Did I really miss something?' Khan wondered, removing the upper part of his uniform and shoes to prepare for the training session.
The conversation with Monica broadened Khan's perspective, but that would be pointless if he couldn't translate it into improvements. Still, there was value in her words, making tests necessary.
'I might be too detached from the human's perspective,' Khan admitted, 'But that doesn't make me wrong.'
Khan decided to tackle the issue step by step, analyzing his skillset to check whether his alien knowledge had made him miss aspects of his growth. He ignored his martial arts for now, but his spells earned the entirety of his attention.
The spherical version of the Wave spell expanded from Khan's body as soon as he mustered his mana. The attack stretched uniformly in every direction, affecting the symphony in the process.
The reinforced floor endured the attack, and Khan didn't hesitate to stretch his right arm once it was over. The conical version of the Wave spell left his palm, sending its destructive influence on the symphony before dispersing.
Khan noted down every detail but couldn't find anything valuable. He had mastered that spell long ago, and the symphony had never reacted differently to its power.
The only noticeable difference was in Khan's mind. His spell required far more concentration to work properly during his first attempts. That wasn't necessary anymore, but Khan linked it to the mastery achieved over the years.
The chaos claws, chaos spear, and needles showed similar results. Khan could cast them without thinking too much about the necessary emotions and images. He had long since mastered those spells, so summoning them had almost become as easy as breathing.
'This is nothing special,' Khan thought, watching his needles disperse. 'I did the same with my martial arts, and the process isn't exclusive to me. That's just how training works.'
Testing those spells didn't convince Khan, but the training session was far from over. He had expected a similar result from his older techniques since the time spent with them could justify any improvement. Instead, his newer ones had a chance to show peculiarities.
Khan pondered about casting the cloud spell before rethinking that idea. That creature embodied the chaos element, and he had already studied its nature. He knew what his mana harbored.
The [Blood Shield] also belonged to the old set of spells. Khan watched the clotting of the blood vessels in his hand before retracting the technique. Summoning that protection had become second nature to him. He couldn't learn anything from it.
However, the other defensive technique didn't share that accumulated experience. Khan opened his mouth to release a clicking growl that sent violent flares of mana in every direction. The spell protected him from every angle, but dispersing that mana brought Khan back to the starting point.
'This one required some training,' Khan thought, studying his surroundings, 'But nothing much after that. It's the same as the other spells. It became easier to cast through training.'
Khan had only one test left, so he tinkered with the menus to make a circular target appear on a distant wall. He lifted his right hand, using his thumb and forefinger to create a U-shaped gesture, and his eyes closed to let him focus on his emotions.
The disgust experienced during the many political compromises invaded Khan, adding flexibility to the mana that left his fingers. Moreover, the scene of Amox using his spell filled his vision, giving him the perfect representation of what he wanted to cast.
A dense but flexible thread connected Khan's thumb to his forefinger, and he pinched it with his free hand to pull it toward his chest. His eyes opened at that point, and he aimed the attack at the distant target before releasing his mana.
The spell made no sound, but a short explosion unfolded on the target, covering it in the chaos element's iconic purple-red color. Khan didn't hit its exact center, but the released power was satisfactory. He only had to work on his aim.
Nevertheless, Khan didn't focus on his performance. His attention was on his execution since he wanted to find peculiarities or clues that might hint at his growth. It felt easy to cast the spell, but that couldn't convince Khan.
'Did I always have it easy?' Khan wondered. 'I spent some time mastering this spell, but was it easier than the previous?'
Khan scratched his head but couldn't find a straight answer. He recalled his initial struggles with his spells, but that was the truth with his new one too. It was hard to spot improvements when he used training sessions as his foundation.
'This is pointless,' Khan eventually sighed, sitting on the floor to review his issue. 'How is studying my spells going to help with alien arts?'
The conversation with Monica resounded in Khan's mind while he lost himself in his thoughts. Any project with the Thilku runes would require more training, while he was already good at the Nele and Niqols arts. Fusing them appeared impossible.
'Kind and domineering at the same time,' Khan cursed. 'This isn't sex. How am I supposed to do that with mana?'
No matter how much Khan thought about the issue, conclusions failed to arrive. That wouldn't be surprising to any expert. After all, fusing different alien arts wasn't a common practice. Yet, Khan couldn't give up so easily, especially since he had already succeeded in another field.
'I guess I'm not comparing them on the same field,' Khan realized. 'I can use Nele techniques but not Niqols spells. I can't fuse anything if I'm stuck at the basics.'
Khan was underestimating himself. Truth be told, his mastery over the Niqols arts was far superior. Most of his skillset relied on them. He had only failed to rely on their more advanced theories.
'Is it really easy for me to affect the environment?' Khan wondered before testing that theory. He had no shortage of bad thoughts and memories, so his mind instantly grew cold.
Khan's mana echoed his mindset, which affected the symphony and changed its shades. The temperature dropped as tension spread through the hall. It almost seemed that the air was ready to explode.
'Isn't this just my mana?' Khan considered. 'The chaos element wouldn't be so problematic otherwise.'
Khan tried not to be delusional. He knew how stubborn he could get, but trusting Monica's suggestion wasn't easy. Khan didn't question her judgment, but her senses weren't good enough to be a clue.
'Maybe I should try it out and see what happens,' Khan eventually concluded. 'I'm getting nowhere with this anyway.'
Khan's expertise had grown leagues beyond what it was on Nitis. He had reached the point when even the Thilku saw him as a shaman. Studying his memories added a new layer of understanding, but nothing he didn't already consider.
Still, Khan couldn't disregard Monica's words before doing everything in his power to test them. He quickly devised a simple training session and immediately put it into practice.
The Niqols' spells demanded control over the environment. The symphony had to gain a specific purpose and shape to echo the intended effects, which required inhuman ability in the manipulation field.
For the first attempt, Khan didn't jump into anything complicated. He closed his eyes and focused on the theory behind the cloud spell. The chaos element was hard to control, so he isolated its fundamental nature to have an easier time affecting the environment.
A clicking cry soon filled Khan's mind, and he kept it there to let his mana handle the rest. The chaos element initially sent the symphony running, but Khan didn't alter his presence and continued to convey those violent meanings.
Slowly, Khan's presence began to affect the synthetic mana. The changes were greater in his surroundings, but the distant areas also started to morph to echo his element's basic instincts.
Intense urges invaded Khan while he forced the clicking growl to cry louder. He usually never let it fill his mind for so long, and his body threatened to slip out of his control under that exposure. Yet, he kept going until his limits arrived.
When Khan felt about to lose it, he opened his mouth and released his mana to vent those violent emotions. The symphony was ready to receive it, and the synthetic mana transformed, imitating the chaos element's nature.
Suddenly, a purple-red color filled the entire hall, creating gales that ran in every direction. Khan sat at the center of that storm, screaming a clicking growl that deepened the effects of his mana.
The symphony calmed down only after it exhausted the traces of Khan's influence. Khan also relaxed at that point, but his eyes widened in surprise when he inspected his surroundings.
The storm didn't reach the ceiling or walls, but the floor was a different matter. Cracks had appeared on that smooth surface, lifting chunks of metal at times. Khan saw spikes and holes created by his mana's random and wild movement, and a curse didn't hesitate to resound in his mind.
To be continued