The first step required a clear intent: the desire to restore a dry twig into a freshly plucked shoot. Looking back, this had been Max's greatest hurdle. Now, it was effortlessly simple.
The second step was Mana Channeling. For an Awakened individual, this process was completely straightforward. It was as natural as breathing or perceiving one's own body parts without conscious effort. Yet, this instinct was exactly where the issue lay. Once initiated, the Mana flowed like an opened dam, draining his reserves all at once. Max needed to control this surge, erecting a mental gate valve to let just enough Mana pass through to activate the skill.
According to the theory he had read regarding Mana Channeling, the easiest way to control a massive force of Mana was not to build a strong wall and halt it abruptly when the skill had enough power. Instead, one had to change the shape of the exit entirely.
This was the Needle and Thread Technique.
Rather than visualizing his Mana as a massive reservoir waiting for his instinctive use, Max pictured the vast pool as a large, coiled spool of thread. Instead of opening the Mana gate to flow endlessly, he mentally reached out and gently pinched the swaying, loose end of a single thread. He slowly guided it along the Mana path toward his palm. When the thread was about to reach its destination, his mind attempted to create a single hole matching the exact size of the thread, just enough for the Mana to pass through.
Fail!
This was the precise theory he had studied. However, when he put that theory into practice, execution was another matter entirely. First, he could not pinch the loose end of the Mana spool. Second, he could not instinctively feel the Mana path. Finally, he could not create a precise, small hole for the Mana thread to go through. It was far more difficult in reality than it was to explain theoretically.
Max did not give up. If there was one thing he was an expert in, it was trying something endlessly. That relentless repetition was how he had finally found a way to activate the skill in the first place. Eventually, he would achieve this Mana Channeling as well.
Max continuously practiced throughout the entire evening. However, even then, he could not succeed in the Needle and Thread Technique.
He needed to take some time off and reflect upon the training he had done today. If one gave their mind enough time to normalize the process, the action would eventually become as instinctive as breathing.
With that thought in mind, Max left the training room and returned to his dorm room. He had worked too hard today; taking proper rest was a necessity.
Furthermore, a Duel awaited him at the sword training ground tomorrow morning.
He had to attend in order to save his dignity. He already knew that the opponent was far superior in terms of skill. Therefore, Max would have to struggle immensely just to defeat the guy, or at the very least, lose the Duel with dignity.
Max arrived for dinner right on time. He had previously promised Moon that he would meet the party he intended to join. Per his usual routine, he collected his food, took a seat at his table, and slowly began to eat, hoping that the party would arrive before he finished his meal. However, when he was halfway through his food, only a single person showed up. It was Moon. Seeing her arrive alone, Max instinctively felt that something was amiss.
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"Where is the rest of the team?" Max initiated the conversation.
Moon, however, remained silent for a while, deep in thought. Observing her facial expressions and behavior, Max immediately guessed the worst: the others had refused to let him join their team.
This was a very obvious outcome. Even Max had anticipated that this might happen. He had only agreed yesterday to test his luck, figuring that if there was a chance to join a team effortlessly, it would save him a massive amount of time. Otherwise, he would have to struggle to join a party formed by someone from his class, as those students were currently searching desperately for members to fill their own parties.
"Actually, my other party members had some objections regarding the ingenuity of your skills. Thus, they refused to let you join the party," Moon explained, her face filled with embarrassment and shame. "I tried to persuade them, but they simply wouldn't listen. I am extremely sorry."
After all, she was the one who had originally proposed the idea of him joining her party. Now that she had failed to persuade the others, it was an utter humiliation of her authority and influence.
"Hey, it is not a problem. This is just our first Dungeon Expedition," Max said, offering words of encouragement. He did not say this just for the sake of comforting her; it genuinely was only their first expedition. "We will have plenty of expeditions over the next three years. We can just party up next time, so do not worry about it."
There would be plenty of Dungeon Raids in the future.
Once that matter was settled, they consumed their dinner while discussing different topics. After their meal was finished, they exchanged parting greetings and walked toward their respective dorm rooms.
However, before he could take a few steps past the path's junction, Max heard someone speak to him. Turning around, he noticed three youths walking toward him.
"What was that?" Max asked, as he had not caught their words.
"I said, do not forget to come for the Duel tomorrow morning," a voice stated. Looking at the youths more closely, Max recognized the speaker; it was the very person he was scheduled to fight tomorrow.
"Sure, no problem," Max replied as he turned and walked away.
Ethan and his gang were left dumbfounded by Max's behavior. Max, however, was simply exhausted. He had worked too hard the entire day, so he was in no mood to converse with these people.
Upon reaching his dorm room, he simply flipped through a few pages of a book just to maintain his consistent reading habit. Afterward, he went directly to bed, falling asleep.
The following morning, Max woke up and freshened up. He then proceeded to have his breakfast. At that moment, he noticed Isabelle, who was having her own breakfast alongside her friends. He cast a few glances in her direction, as he had not seen her for a day or so. Afterward, he collected his food, sat at his regular table, and consumed his meal.
Once he had finished, he returned to his dorm room to don his training attire. He then walked toward the Sword Training Ground.
While walking along the path, Max noticed a peculiar occurrence: people were looking at him strangely. This happened frequently, but today, the sheer number of stares exceeded that of a regular day. This phenomenon was explained automatically once he reached the training ground. A massive crowd had gathered. Even second year students were present, choosing to gather here instead of attending their classes.
Upon stepping into the training room, Max noticed students gathered in a circle. In the middle stood Ethan, wearing a solemn expression. Sweeping his gaze around, Max could see that his entire class was present. Isabelle was also among the crowd. This was going to be an embarrassing day for him. Losing in front of his crush should have been a forbidden outcome, yet it was exactly what was going to happen.
Walking toward the center of the circle, he stood to one side. There were still a few minutes remaining until the official training session commenced. The teacher would only arrive then; until that moment, they simply had to wait.
Max stood silently under the piercing scrutiny of the surrounding mob. Sweeping his eyes across the area, he noticed that Moon had also come to witness the Duel.
Max gave her a wave. The crowd turned their heads to see who he was waving at, and they were subsequently surprised by the person waving back at him. Some particular individuals murmured heavily among themselves. Max guessed that they must be from Moon's class.