Multiversal Ascension-Chapter 57: Integrating Mana into the Fighting Style

A wry smile appeared on her face. "A spell, huh? I almost forgot you're a mage too, considering you rarely use magic. But yes, I'd appreciate it if you used Clean on me. Thanks."

At her request, Mikael cast the spell on her. Instantly, all the sweat and grime from their fight vanished, and her disheveled hair returned to its usual state—long, silky black strands with a neat braid looping just above her ears.

Amelia was impressed by the practicality of the spell. As a warrior, she had never paid much attention to the mage path since she could only use aura, not mana. For that reason, she hadn't seen much point in learning about magic.

After this brief exchange, the two parted ways—Amelia heading back to her dorm to rest, while Mikael made his way to the library to finally begin integrating magic into his fighting style.

After a short walk, Mikael arrived at the library. There, he saw Lyra in a familiar lazy position, just like the first time he had seen her. She was resting her head on the counter at the center of the library, a book open in front of her as she read leisurely.

"Lyra?"

Hearing the familiar voice, she raised her head. A small smile unknowingly made its way onto her face as she said, "Hi Mikael, good to see you. Are you here for some books?"

"Yeah, I also have these books to return." As he finished speaking, two books appeared on the counter, prompting her to scan them before typing something into a nearby computer.

He continued, "I'm also interested in that book you mentioned a while ago—the one about combining the mage and warrior paths."

A thoughtful expression appeared on her face before she said, "Ah, you mean this one!" She pulled a book from behind the counter and placed it in front of him.

Mikael picked up the book, giving it a cursory glance before turning his attention back to Lyra. "You know," he said with a teasing smile, "if I didn't know any better, I'd say you've been keeping this book hidden just for me."

She tilted her head slightly, seemingly puzzled by his words. "Yeah, I did keep it for you. I thought it was interesting, and knowing that my friend wanted to read it someday, I decided to leave it here." Her innocent expression left no room for doubt.

'A friend,' he mused internally, watching her carefully. Her sincerity confirmed his thoughts. 'Yep, she clearly sees me as just a friend. For now, at least. But how do I change that? That's the real challenge. Considering how antisocial she is, it's going to be tough.'

'This isn't like Amelia, where we share common ground, and we gradually became closer as we sparred. And I'm still not experienced enough to navigate these things properly. Flirting—I'm starting to get the hang of that—but shifting the dynamic with this clueless girl? That's a whole other level.'

He snapped out of his thoughts and asked, "Are there any other books you'd recommend on this subject?"

She pondered for a few seconds before replying, "No, sorry. The fusion of the mage and warrior paths isn't a popular topic because of how rare dual-type talents are. I don't know if there are any other books in the library that cover this subject, but even if there aren't, this book should be quite interesting for you. I've read it myself, and I definitely recommend it."

"Alright, I'll start with this one and see if it helps. I'll come back later and let you know what I think."

She nodded, and they completed the necessary procedures for him to borrow the book. After saying their goodbyes, he exited the library.

'The fact that she talked to me and even seemed happy to see me is proof enough that she appreciates me—especially considering how antisocial she is. But how to take it further... that's the real question,' he thought, sighing inwardly as he struggled to find a solution.

'Let's focus on training for now. I'll figure it out later,' he decided, resorting to the legendary art of procrastination.

After a short, relaxing walk where he deliberately avoided thinking about Lyra and his "problem," he arrived at his dormitory. Unlocking the building, and then his room, he stepped into his personal space. Once inside, he sat on the couch and opened the book.

He began reading at an impressive pace, flipping through the pages so quickly that, to an observer, it would seem as though he was merely skimming. In truth, he was absorbing the contents effortlessly. His extraordinary mental capacity, bolstered by his 500 Intelligence stat, allowed him to process information far faster than an ordinary human. Even though the Intelligence stat wasn't linear like other attributes, his mind operated at an entirely different level.

Thanks to this, he finished the book in no time. Rising from the couch with new insights on how to combine magic and aura, he placed the book on the table and entered his training room, ready for an intense session aimed at growing stronger.

Just as he was about to begin his session, he remembered Kiara, Amelia, and Lyra. He made a strange face for a moment, thinking, 'The three women I'm courting all have names that end in a...' He shrugged, not really concerned about it. 'It's just a coincidence.'

He then sent a message to Kiara through the Records, letting her know that he might be a little late for their weekly 'date.' Afterward, he pulled out his iPhone, where he had Amelia and Lyra in his contacts, and sent them both a message. He informed them that he would be in his dorm for a while, training and working on integrating mana into his fighting style.

With these matters settled, his mind cleared, and he focused entirely on his training. 'First, let's work on upgrading my movement technique. Right now, it's basically just running, which leaves a lot of room for improvement. My attack power is solid thanks to Blade Tempest, but my movement speed is still mediocre. If I face a strong enemy, like the assassins sent by Wernon, I won't have a reliable way to escape. It'll inevitably turn into a kill-or-be-killed situation.'

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'Technically, I do have an escape option—extraction by the Records, which lets me leave this world entirely. But it requires me to remain immobile for five minutes. In a real fight, five seconds can be fatal, so five minutes? Forget it.

'Yeah, this is a problem I need to fix. I have an idea, though—it's not perfect, but it should work for now. The plan is to use fire magic under my feet to create small explosions and use the momentum to drastically increase my movement speed. I can refine it later, but this is a good starting point.'

With the idea in mind, he began his training. Summoning his mana, he focused on fire mana and made small flames appear before him, feeling the warmth envelop his body. It didn't take long to realize something crucial: he wasn't immune to his own flames. That was bad, especially considering his new movement technique was essentially creating explosions under his feet...

Controlling the small flames, he directed them toward his feet but stopped mid-motion. He suddenly remembered he still had his shoes on. Creating explosions while wearing shoes wasn't the smartest idea—they'd take damage. Sure, his uniform had self-repairing enchantments, but it wasn't invincible. Enough damage would render the clothing useless. With a sigh, he removed his shoes, ready to proceed.

He then positioned the small flames near his feet, but feeling the heat, he quickly surrounded his body with his aura cloak. However, he soon realized that while the aura cloak protected him from burns, it also prevented the flames from making the required contact with his body to be effective.

He pondered the issue for a moment before adjusting the properties of his aura cloak. He modified it to allow mana imbued with his unique signature to pass harmlessly through the cloak without causing damage.

Both mana and aura carry an energy signature unique to their user, much like a fingerprint. By adjusting the properties of his aura cloak, he ensured that he could still benefit from its enhancements while allowing his own mana to interact directly with his body. Unfortunately, he wasn't completely immune to his own mana. While his body had some degree of resistance, it wasn't enough to fully protect him, meaning he would still feel some damage from creating explosions beneath his feet.

With this adjustment complete, he placed small flames under each foot. The burning sensation was immediate, but he ignored it and commanded the flames to implode while positioning his feet.

"Boom."

A small explosion echoed through the room as he was propelled a meter into the air and slightly forward before landing back on the ground.

Noticing that the test was partially successful, he gained more confidence in his approach and pressed on.

This time, he channeled fire-attributed mana through his body, directing it under his feet. "Boom."

Another explosion sent him forward again, but now he had slightly better control over his movements and the strength of the blast, allowing him to aim more accurately.

He continued his trials, repeating the process several times. However, as he persisted, the burning pain in his feet increased, and his soles turned a vivid red. Realizing he couldn't sustain this without causing harm, he paused to brainstorm a solution.

After some trial and error, he finally found a way to mitigate the damage. By coating his feet with a layer of fire-attributed mana before creating the explosion, he managed to protect them from direct contact with the blast. This method preserved the momentum generated by the explosions while significantly reducing the damage to his feet.

Although the process was complex—requiring him to simultaneously create a protective mana film and trigger an explosion in the same spot—his exceptional control, high intelligence stat of 500, and mage talent allowed him to make rapid progress. It wasn't long before he could consistently produce explosions under his feet while keeping them shielded from harm.

Unsatisfied with just this initial success, he continued to train, gradually refining his technique and increasing his speed.

"Boom. Boom. Boom."

Explosions reverberated through the room as he zipped around like a blur. Each time his feet touched the ground, small detonations propelled him forward, drastically enhancing his movement speed.

"Boom!"

A slightly overpowered explosion caused him to lose his balance, sending him stumbling into a nearby wall.

"Argh," he groaned, gripping his head in pain as he pushed himself back up. Without hesitation, he resumed his training, determined to master the technique.

Time passed as he trained, completely immersed in his efforts, forgetting everything else and even skipping his classes. He used his bracelet to check his student schedule and confirmed that he didn't have another exam until a month after the dungeon exploration with Amelia. With this reassurance, he focused entirely on his training, neglecting to attend any classes.

***

Mikael moved quickly around the room, small explosions sounding from beneath his feet. Using these bursts, he accelerated and began to move across the room, not only on the ground but also running up the walls and making small jumps off the ceiling.

"Boom, boom, boom."

The explosions echoed for some time before he stopped and let himself fall to the ground, a happy smile on his face.

He checked the time on his bracelet and was surprised. 'Damn, it's been just over an entire day since I started training? I didn't even notice time passing. What's really overpowered, though, is that in one day I created a new technique. The increased INT stat and my new mage talent working together are truly ridiculous.'

He fell onto his back with a content smile, then raised his hand as if to touch the ceiling while thinking, 'I should be able to evolve my footwork skill now, right?'

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