In his current life, Anthony didn't have the full might of soul at hand or the supreme innate talent of his dragon body. Compared to his past life, he wasn't as blessed. He also didn't have the entirety of the knowledge stored in his soul to help guide him through the process. But Anthony wasn't daunted.
He wasn't the kind of person to let something like a little noise stop him from getting what he wanted. His goal hadn't changed since his rebirth. The robed mage was going to die in his hands.
However, if Anthony couldn't even train because of the incessant chatter of the world around him, he would never achieve his goal. So, the option of waiting until his physique developed didn't exist in Anthony's mind. And if there were no end to it, trying to endure would be foolish.
Anthony did his best to sit in a lotus position since it was supposedly the best for concentration and circulation. He wasn't sure if that applied to newborns, but it was better than lying flat on his face. His legs were a little disobedient and unwieldy, and he almost lost his balance several times. But he managed to end up in a baby-adapted lotus position despite the cascade of deafening sounds threatening to crash his mind.
Anthony closed his eyes and did his best to focus, not on shutting the sounds out but embracing them.
When dealing with things that were too much, such as the sounds his ears were picking up, Anthony had discovered in his past life that there were two ways to deal with it.
The first was to limit whatever it was. In this case, it would be trying to block out the sounds by any means possible. But there weren't any means possible at all. That meant Anthony could only use the other way.
He would have to change something so that it wouldn't be too much. If there were too much water in a dam, he would have to build a bigger one.
But in this case, he would have to strengthen himself or his mind so that all the sounds his ears picked up weren't too much. He would have to learn how to embrace every single little creak, rustle, clack, tap, trickle, knock, and breeze. Only then could he distinguish, separate, and control the sounds he picked up.
So, with his eyes closed, Anthony concentrated his attention on his ears.
The sounds grew in intensity, corresponding to the concentration he gave them. They were impossible to identify.
What had at first only been a couple of sounds that Anthony could tell what they were had turned into a full-on avalanche of soundwaves pouring into his ears. It was to the point where he couldn't even hear himself think.
But he didn't need to hear his thoughts to think. And he didn't need to think to act. And he didn't need to identify or distinguish the different sounds. All of them were entering his ears regardless of what he wanted, after all.
Anthony didn't do anything further after tuning into the noise his ears picked up. His decision and proclamation that there were only two ways to do this might have sounded grand. But he was basically going to up the degree of suffering until he had surpassed it. He would endure and embrace the sounds until they no longer caused him comfort or broke his concentration.
He was going to sit still and listen to all the sounds of the world pouring into his ears like a torrent until his ears and mind were durable enough to handle the flow. In other words, Anthony wasn't going to do much except wait.
Since the sounds weren't loud, it was just his ears being hypersensitive. There was no risk of going deaf. Anthony didn't know if it was a shame or fortunate.
It was tedious. But it wasn't boring. The sounds made it impossible to feel any boredom. There were constantly new sounds rising to the fore and changing the chaotic melody's tune.
But it wasn't only tedious. It soon grew painful.
It was the first time in both his lives that Anthony experienced a headache.
'At least I don't have to listen to those two anymore.'
The only good thing to come out of his cursed hearing was the fact that he didn't have to endure Thomas and Vira's prattling. But if Anthony had to be honest, he would rather listen to those two than suffer through hearing so sensitive he could hear a fly bump into the wall on the other side of the house, at least if he couldn't control it.
The headache grew more piercing and brainsplitting with each passing moment. But Anthony bore with it. Focusing on the sounds put a strain on his mind, and the headache was proof that it was working.
The sounds and sensory experience they made Anthony experience forced themselves to fit into his mind. That was what the headache really signified.
The headache also gave Anthony something to focus and hold onto so he wasn't swept away by the sounds and lost his concentration.
He wasn't sure what would happen or if anything would happen at all if he lost focus, but Anthony didn't want to risk it. He braved through the pain with the stubborn pride of a dragon, albeit a reborn one, with a furious desire for vengeance.
But eventually, the pain became too much, and Anthony had to stop, not because of the pain itself but because of the pain it signified. If he forced it more than this, he would risk permanently damaging his brain and the auditory cortex. Best case scenario, he loses his hearing.
Worst case scenario, Anthony's brain loses the ability to hold his soul, and he will perish.
So, even if he wanted to get it over and done with, Anthony had to be patient and know when to take a step back and let his brain rest. It was like when he searched his soul and pushed it.
Rushing and making haste only makes waste.