Kelvin had chosen the second method without hesitation.In a real battle, every second mattered.The less time he spent casting...The greater his chances of surviving.He slowly exhaled.Then raised both hands.
The sequence recorded within Introduction to Hand Seals replayed itself inside his mind.The first seal.His fingers interlocked.The second.His wrists rotated as both hands shifted into a completely different position.The third.His index and middle fingers extended while the remaining fingers folded together.Every movement had to connect flawlessly with the next.There could be no hesitation.
No mistakes.
As the final seal approached, Kelvin felt the mana circulating throughout his body respond.It flowed naturally through his mana pathways before gathering around his right arm.
A faint warmth spread across his skin.
The warmth quickly intensified.Within moments, the surrounding air began to shimmer from the rising temperature.
Kelvin remained perfectly focused.Just...A little...More...The final seal locked into place.For the briefest instant...Everything seemed perfect.Then the mana abruptly lost stability.
Whoosh!
A burst of flames exploded around his forearm.
"Tch!"
Kelvin immediately broke the final seal.The flames scattered into countless sparks before disappearing into the endless white arena.He instinctively looked down.Another scorch mark had appeared along the sleeve covering his right arm.A sharp stinging sensation followed.Rolling back his sleeve slightly, he found a patch of reddened skin.
It wasn't serious.The burn was minor.
Even so...It was enough to remind him that failed spells could injure the caster just as easily as an opponent.Kelvin flexed his fingers several times before lowering both hands.He wasn't discouraged.If anything...The failed attempt had taught him more than simply reading the manual ever could.
Closing his eyes, he carefully replayed every movement from beginning to end.The first seal...The second...The third...Then the final transition.Several moments passed.His eyes slowly opened again.
"I forced it."
The conclusion came almost immediately.
The sequence itself had been correct.His control hadn't been.Rather than allowing the mana to gather naturally, he had tried forcing more of it into the spell before it had stabilized.
The result...
The backlash he had just experienced.
Kelvin took another deep breath.Once again, his hands rose before him.
This time...
He deliberately slowed every movement.
The first seal formed.Then the second.
The third followed naturally after.Each transition flowed smoothly into the next, exactly as illustrated within Introduction to Hand Seals.Mana answered his movements once more.It flowed steadily through his pathways before gathering around his arm.The familiar warmth returned.Kelvin resisted the urge to interfere.
Instead...
He simply guided it.The heat steadily increased.A tiny ember flickered above his palm.Then another.The two embers slowly drifted together before merging into a single flame no larger than the palm of his hand.
It floated quietly above his skin.Its orange glow reflected within Kelvin's dark eyes.
He waited.One second.Then another.The fire remained perfectly stable.More importantly...It didn't burn him.A faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
"It worked."
His gaze shifted toward the nearest circular target.Without hesitation, he thrust his palm forward.The flame streaked through the air like a blazing arrow.
Boom!
The fireball struck the center of the circular target.The concentric rings lit up for an instant before the entire target shattered into countless fragments of light and vanished.
A calm mechanical voice echoed throughout the simulation room.
"Target destroyed."
Almost immediately, another circular target rose from the floor several meters away.At the same time, a translucent screen materialized before Kelvin.
Fire Spell Successfully Cast.
Casting Time: 10.08 Seconds.
Kelvin stared silently at the number displayed before him.Ten seconds.His smile disappeared.Against a stationary target...Ten seconds was acceptable.
Against an enemy who intended to kill him...Ten seconds was an eternity.By the time he completed the final hand seal, his opponent could have crossed the distance between them several times over.
Kelvin slowly closed the screen.
His eyes settled on the newly risen circular target.
"No..."
He quietly shook his head.
"Still too slow."
Without another word, he raised both hands once more.Again.He would repeat the sequence.Again.And again.Until the movements no longer required thought.
Until his fingers remembered every seal on their own.Only then...Would hand seals become the weapon he wanted them to be.
He raised his hands once again.
The first seal.The second.The third.The fourth.Mana flowed obediently through his pathways as the familiar warmth gathered around his right arm.The flame condensed above his palm.This time, the transition between each seal was noticeably smoother.He thrust his arm forward.
Boom!
The fireball crashed into the center of another circular target.The target shattered into particles of light.The mechanical voice echoed once more.
"Target destroyed."
A new evaluation appeared.
Casting Time: 8.91 Seconds.
Kelvin barely glanced at it.Again.The target reformed.His hands rose.The sequence repeated.The first seal.The second.The third.This time, his fingers moved with slightly less hesitation.
Boom!
Another target disappeared.
Casting Time: 7.84 Seconds.
Again.Boom!7.12 Seconds.Again.
Boom!6.46 Seconds.
Sweat slowly formed across Kelvin's forehead.His breathing had grown heavier.Although each spell consumed only a small amount of mana,continuously casting them without pause gradually placed a burden on both his body and concentration.Even so...He refused to stop.
Another target appeared.Kelvin exhaled slowly.His fingers moved.The hand seals no longer felt as awkward as they had during his first attempt.Some of the movements had already begun to settle into muscle memory.He no longer needed to consciously think about every transition.His hands simply moved.Mana gathered.Fire condensed.The spell was completed.
Boom!
The target exploded apart.The familiar mechanical voice followed.
"Target destroyed."
Another evaluation appeared before him.
Casting Time: 5.03 Seconds.
Kelvin's eyes lingered on the screen.
Five seconds.Compared to where he had started...His improvement was obvious.
He had cut his casting time almost in half.Most beginners would have been delighted.Kelvin wasn't.
He looked toward the remaining circular targets spread throughout the white arena.Five seconds...In a real battle...
Five seconds was still an eternity.
An experienced sorcerer wouldn't stand still while he calmly formed hand seals.
They would attack.Close the distance.
Or simply kill him before the spell was complete.Kelvin slowly clenched his fists.
"I'm still too slow."
His gaze sharpened.
"There has to be a way..."
Without another thought, he raised his hands once more.This time, he intended to push even further.The first seal formed almost instinctively.The second followed immediately.Then the third Suddenly Everything froze.The flame that had just begun to form above his palm stopped flickering.
The floating particles of light suspended in the air became motionless.Even the faint hum of the simulation room vanished.Silence.Absolute silence.Kelvin's pupils constricted.
"...What?"
Before he could react, an overwhelming pressure descended upon his consciousness.His vision blurred.His body refused to obey him.It felt as though his mind had been forcibly dragged somewhere else while his body remained standing within the simulation room.Darkness swallowed everything.There was no white arena.No targets.
No sound.No sense of direction.Only an endless void.Then...A voice.Ancient.
Indifferent.It did not seem to come from any particular direction.Instead...It resonated directly within his consciousness.A single phrase echoed through the endless darkness.
"Light Breaker."
The two words carried an indescribable weight.The instant they sounded...A blinding streak of golden light flashed across the darkness.Before Kelvin could make sense of what he had seen his consciousness was violently pulled back.The endless void disappeared.
The white simulation arena returned.
The warmth from the unfinished spell was gone.
Kelvin staggered back a step, his breathing uneven.He instinctively held his head.
"What..."
He looked around the empty arena.The circular targets stood exactly where they had been moments ago.Nothing had changed.It was as if everything he had just experienced had never happened.
"What...was that?"
His heartbeat gradually slowed.The words lingered in his mind.Almost unconsciously, his lips parted.
"Light Breaker..."
The words had barely left his mouth
Whoosh.
The doors to the mana chamber slid open behind him.Kelvin turned instinctively.The white arena remained unchanged, but the entrance to the mana chamber had reappeared.Standing there was Kenny.He lowered the temporary access card he had just used to unlock the chamber before his gaze fell upon Kelvin.
For a brief moment, he said nothing.
His eyes swept across the training arena.
The numerous circular targets scattered throughout the simulation space...
The faint traces of scorched mana lingering in the air...The lingering heat produced by repeated fire spells...None of it escaped his notice.
His gaze finally settled on Kelvin.The fluctuations of mana surrounding the young apprentice were noticeably stronger than when they had last met.A hint of surprise flashed through Kenny's eyes.
First Circle... Second Level.
He had broken through.And judging by the state of the simulation room...The breakthrough hadn't been the end of Kelvin's training.He had continued pushing himself even after advancing.Kenny couldn't help but inwardly admire the boy's discipline.
"You've reached the Second Level of the First Circle."
"Yes, Instructor Kenny."
Kenny gave a slight nod.
"Come out you have your first mission"
Without another word, Kelvin dismissed the simulation.The endless white arena dissolved into countless particles of light. A few moments later the ordinary room came back Kelvin stepped out of the room Kenny looked at him
"The others are waiting"
Kenny's gaze settled on Kelvin's right arm.
The black scorch marks covering his sleeve and the faint burns on his forearm told him everything he needed to know.
The boy had been practicing hand seals.
Without a word, Kenny raised his palms.
Mana gathered at his fingertips before condensing into a soft green radiance.
He pointed toward Kelvin.
The green light drifted forward, enveloping Kelvin from head to toe.A cool sensation washed over his body.The stinging pain in his forearm disappeared almost instantly.The reddened skin gradually returned to normal.At the same time, the scorch marks covering his robe began to fade.
The charred fabric repaired itself strand by strand until there wasn't the slightest trace of damage left behind.Within moments, both Kelvin's body and clothing had been completely restored.Kelvin looked down at himself in surprise before raising his head.
"Thank you, Instructor Kenny."
Kenny lowered his hand.
"We're leaving there isn't time for you to recover naturally."