Note : Sorry for not informing you guys. I spent the past week attending a youth camp, and I didn't expect that our phones would be confiscated during the entire program. That's why I haven't up anything for over a week. Thank you for your understandig
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"An interesting suggestion, but I have to refuse," Van said.
"Ahh, why?" Master Violet asked in confusion.
Hearing Master Violet's confused question, Van didn't answer and focused on enjoying his food.
'[Void Eye] is my valuable asset in battle. Information about this eye must not leak to outsiders. Besides, I can view its information through the System,' Van thought.
[CORRECT, MASTER. I AM THE ALL-POWERFUL SYSTEM! THERE IS NO INFORMATION I CANNOT SEE.]
'But you're a stupid and slow System. You're also dirt poor,' Van replied to the System.
[B-BUT...]
Seeing that Van had no intention of answering, Master Violet sighed wearily and disappeared.
Arthur's expression showed slight surprise when he saw Master Violet vanish without chanting a spell.
"Who's that shorty?" Arthur asked with a hint of confusion in his voice.
"Master Violet. She's my Master in [Skill Training] class," Van answered.
"I see. Makes sense that she disappeared so suddenly. It must be related to her skill," Arthur muttered.
For the next hour, Van and Arthur spent their break time eating and chatting. No one dared to approach them either because of their bad reputation or because of Van's [Villain Aura].
After an hour, Van and Arthur finally parted ways to attend their respective third classes.
Van walked through the corridor and eventually arrived at a simple-looking classroom. The door was made of antique wood, and a wooden plaque on it read [Mana Control].
As Van stepped into the classroom, he felt the [Mana] in his body stir violently.
[BE CAREFUL, MASTER. THIS ROOM IS MADE FROM SPECIAL WOOD THAT ABSORBS [MANA] FROM THE ENVIRONMENT QUICKLY.]
'I already figured that out before you said anything. Damn, this person really has no mercy for beginners,' Van thought, gritting his teeth as he stared at a young man meditating in the middle of the room. The young man appeared to be around 20–25 years old with blonde hair.
"Welcome to [Mana Control] class. My name is Nathan White. You may call me Master Nathan," the young man said, who was none other than the Master of the [Mana Control] class.
While enduring the pain, Van observed the classroom. The [Mana Control] class was different from the two classes he had previously attended.
This class was a room made entirely of wood — both the walls and the floor. Additionally, the room had no windows, allowing only minimal light to enter.
Van saw several senior students already sitting and meditating.
Seeing the seniors, Van and the other first-year students were confused and wondered what they were doing.
"If you're done thinking, sit down and meditate like the others. Meditation is one of the best ways to control [Mana]. Focus and look within yourself."
Van then sat in a corner of the room and began meditating as instructed by Master Nathan.
As Van slowly closed his eyes, the pain he felt gradually subsided.
In the darkness, white glowing orbs the size of ping pong balls appeared.
"So this is natural [Mana]?" Van murmured and tried to touch the nearest white glowing orb.
As Van touched it, the white orb was instantly absorbed into his body.
Van then felt a tingling sensation all over his body, as if something was trying to force its way out from within. He didn't resist and tried to let it out.
From Van's body, black and purplish-black glowing orbs emerged.
'This is my [Mana]? Shadow-attribute [Mana] and Void-attribute [Mana],' Van thought as he looked at the black and purplish-black orbs floating around him.
But then, something astonishing happened. The black or purplish-black orbs suddenly devoured the white orbs, growing to the size of basketballs.
'So this is the reason for the pain I felt when entering the class? The classroom is dense with [Mana], and when it entered my body, my attribute [Mana] instantly devoured the pure [Mana], making my body unable to handle it,' Van thought.
[Mana] is like oxygen. It strengthens the body, aids recovery, and provides other benefits. However, just like oxygen, too much can lead to poisoning — and the same applies to [Mana].
'To control [Mana], I need to create a circulation of [Mana] within my body,' Van thought.
After emptying all the [Mana] from his body, Van slowly absorbed the surrounding [Mana] and circulated it throughout his body via his blood vessels.
Although it sounds simple, it was actually extremely difficult.
Usually, the body automatically circulates a small amount of [Mana] throughout itself.
However, if someone tries to exceed the natural limit, the heart and brain struggle to pump blood, creating extreme pressure and risking ruptured blood vessels.
Therefore, very few people ever manage to develop perfect [Mana] control, as it poses a high risk of internal injury or even death.
Even though Van already had decent [Mana] control due to training since childhood, doing it in this room was a different matter altogether.
This was because the classroom was densely packed with [Mana], so even the slightest mistake could cause the flow of [Mana] in his body to go out of control.
Moreover, Van's [Mana] quantity was already massive, and his young body hadn't fully matured, so even a small error could cause permanent internal injuries.
Two hours passed in the blink of an eye, and the bell rang, signaling the end of the class.
Upon hearing the bell, the students woke up from their meditation, and the pain gradually washed over them.
At this moment, Van was focused on circulating [Mana] through his veins, and the unbearable pain made his body tremble uncontrollably, leaving him unaware of his surroundings.
Fortunately, Van couldn't show facial expressions, so no one could see the pain he was experiencing.
"What a monster. He doesn't even look like he's in pain."
"Either he's gifted, or he's already very skilled."
"He hasn't even realized the bell rang."
Unlike the astonished and admiring expressions of the students, Master Nathan frowned as he looked at Van.
The students might not realize it, but he knew exactly what Van was doing.
"Leave the room before your bodies explode from absorbing too much [Mana]," Master Nathan said.
Hearing Master Nathan's words, the students' faces turned pale.
His warning wasn't an exaggeration — it was a real danger.
Several years ago, there was a student obsessed with power. That student tried to absorb all the [Mana] in this room.
As a result, his body couldn't withstand the excessive [Mana]. Fortunately, the student had the sense to redirect the surplus [Mana] to his right arm.
In the end, the student's right arm exploded like an over-inflated balloon.
A few months after the incident, the student suddenly disappeared and was never seen again.
No one knew what had become of him after he vanished.
Some speculated that he suffered long-term effects from the [Mana] overload.
Some believed he became mentally unstable due to his disability.
Others thought he was kidnapped.
But in the end, all of it remained mere speculation — and no one knew the truth behind his disappearance.