It's been a month since Luther confronted Alex and promised not to disappoint him again. Initially, Alex doubted Luther's sincerity, but after witnessing the sheer effort Luther put into rectifying his mistakes, Alex began to believe in him. Luther's transformation was nothing short of remarkable.
Every morning, Luther trained his body and aura using his past knowledge and divine dragon technique to honed his skills in the ancient sword arts alongside other trainees. These were no ordinary sword arts; they were imbued with elemental magic, allowing warriors to channel the forces of nature through their weapons and train the aura path
Jonathan observed Luther practicing and couldn't help but comment, "Hey, George, look at him. He's performing the Knight's Awakening Form without any flaws."
George turned his head to see Luther executing the moves with precision. To see someone master such complex techniques, which involved channeling elemental auras, after only a week of practice was astonishing. They were mesmerized by Luther's performance, but he was in his own world, contemplating the next steps to advance to the Dormant Awakening stage—a critical phase for any aspiring knight.
In this realm, those on the path of knighthood needed to cultivate not only a strong body but also a balanced mind to control the elemental auras coursing through their veins. These energies traveled through the body's major veins and nodes, known as the Arcane Circuits. Every knight first mastered the Dormant Aura technique, storing the elemental essence in their body before channeling it into their weapons.
However, Luther faced a unique challenge. He couldn't follow the standard path because of the Divine Dragon Technique—a forbidden art meant for the legendary Dragonborn, not humans. This technique altered his aura pathways, making them fundamentally different from those of other knights. While most knights built their aura circuits following the natural Arcane Circuits, Luther had to connect his minor nodes to major ones in a specific order, forming a circuit that could harness the raw power of dragon essence. Any mistake could cause his Arcane Circuits to rupture, a dangerous condition known as "Aura Overflow," which could leave him on the brink of death.
He had made this grave error in his past life, resulting in severe injuries. His Arcane Circuits were left in disarray, and it took him a year to recover using high-grade elixirs. Even then, his natural circuits could only partially restore, limiting his ability to utilize the full potential of the Divine Dragon Aura technique.
Stripped of his full potential, he had reluctantly accepted Ryan's offer to become his lackey to protect his remaining family members and his beloved mother from harm. He had no choice but to practice using a diluted version of the technique, which allowed him to barely reach the Grandmaster rank in his previous life.
"Focus, Luther," he reminded himself. "This time, we can't repeat the same mistakes. We'll connect the minor nodes to the major ones, forming an Arcane Circuit. Then, we'll gradually increase the aura's power, completing the circuit." Even with his knowledge, executing these steps was daunting. His previous life's experiences and the forbidden arts had weakened his soul, making it unstable. The soul, body, and mind needed to be in perfect harmony to harness aura effectively.
Luther's weak soul was a constant threat to his progress. He had been using meditation and aura reinforcement techniques to stabilize it, but he needed more. To advance, he required the world's acknowledgment—an event called "Awakening"—to gain access to the Celestial Voice, a cosmic entity that granted warriors the ability to gain achievement points , secret arts, treasure many more things. These points could be exchanged for rare herbs and mystical artifacts to heal his soul. However, reaching the Awakening stage required a level of aura mastery that his fragile soul could not yet support. Increasing his physical strength without strengthening his soul would only create further imbalance, risking his very existence.
"If I want to strengthen my soul, I need a Soul Blossom—a legendary flower that enhances soul strength. But such treasures are rare and guarded by ancient guardians or hidden in dangerous realms. Even if I found one, it would cost more than I could ever afford. Right now, I'm just a penniless wanderer."
"Sigh, where can I find a Soul Blossom?" While he pondered this, a sudden voice jolted him from his thoughts.
"Hey, Luther!" someone shouted, irritation clear in their tone.
Luther turned around, recognizing the voices of Jonathan and George. They had watched his flawless execution of the sword arts and approached him to talk, but Luther had been too lost in his thoughts to notice. Jonathan and George, both skilled knights in their own right, looked at him with a mix of irritation and curiosity.
"What's with you? We've been calling your name for ages," Jonathan grumbled.
Luther shook off his thoughts and faced them, ready to address whatever they had on their minds, all while keeping his own goals and challenges at the forefront of his mind. In this world of magic, monsters, and mystical treasures, every step forward was a battle against both external forces and his own limitations.