Chapter 96: Forming Mana Heart
A/N: Guys, the name of the novel is changed to The Legendary Knight: Rise of the Primordial Dragon
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"But you had not even formed a core just a day before yesterday," Victor said with a confused expression. "You formed a core and a mana heart in just one day?"
Chloe nodded with a neutral expression.
"Could you show it to me?" he asked, narrowing his eyes. She did not seem like someone who would lie, but it seemed too absurd to be true.
Chloe raised her palm forward. A purple-colored energy surrounded her body, the air around her stirred, and then a violent gust of wind erupted from her hand, sending Victor’s clothes fluttering backward.
The wind struck the arched wall at the front and swept through the whole hall, swaying the hair of all the present students.
"W-well, no doubt about it," Victor stuttered, his eyes widened in bewilderment. "You really have formed a mana heart. Still, I cannot allow you to sleep in my lecture again."
Chloe’s brows furrowed at the denial. What else was she supposed to do when he was only going to teach something she already knew? She decided not to argue with him. She already knew she would fall asleep regardless once the boring lecture began.
"Chloe, when did you form the mana heart?" Vlad asked in a whisper, the person most shocked by this revelation.
"I will tell you later. It’s a secret," Chloe replied in a hushed tone, even though they were the only two there.
Vlad decided not to press her for the answer and turned his focus to the professor at the front. He knew she would tell him later.
Victor ordered all the students to spread out and sit on the floor with legs crossed and eyes closed, making sure no one was within a one-metre radius of another.
The students followed his order. Chloe took the spot close to the wall at the back and closed her eyes as well, obviously for an ulterior reason.
"Unless you form the mana heart, the mana in your core will remain dormant and you will not be able to access it. Think of your core as a storage tank, and the mana heart as the pump that sends that mana to the rest of the body and out," Victor explained in a serious tone. "Now focus on your mana core. Try to move your dormant mana toward your chest, closer to your heart."
Following Victor’s instructions, the students began gathering their mana at their chests, where they could feel their heartbeats. Because the distance between the lower abdomen and chest was not great, they did not need a source to channel the mana.
The hall lit up with faint glows from the students’ bodies as mana of different colors surrounded them.
Vlad also guided his mana toward his chest through his narrow mana circuits. He could feel that his mana was ravenous and violent in nature. One small mistake and it could devour even him.
Once he sensed the beating of his heart, he began gathering his mana there. He needed to continue until only enough mana remained in his core that he would not suffer mana deviation.
He had already reached the limit before even a minute had passed. Due to his low rank, although he possessed the primordial core, the mana it could hold was... only D-ranked.
The next step was to suppress this mana and connect it to the mana circuits around it. The reason the mana heart formed closer to the actual heart was that the mana circuits at the chest spread like branches through the body, connecting to every part.
Vlad began suppressing the mana, compressing it from the size of a head. The violent mana tried to resist, but he held it firmly. He suppressed it until it reached the size of a fist. Just as he reached the needed size, the mana suddenly repelled sharply and turned frenzied, spreading through his whole body and out. Flickers of crimson lightning, along with dark mana, erupted from his body, along with a mouthful of blood.
[Alert! The Host has suffered Mana Backlash after using a mana channeling method incompatible with the Host’s body.]
He coughed uncontrollably, falling to the floor while clutching his chest. He felt as if his whole body was being devoured. Through his blurred vision, he saw Chloe’s worried face as she moved closer, while behind her stood Victor, wearing an expression of disappointment.
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HOW FOOLISH... TRYING TO RUIN YOUR BODY BY USING THE LOWLY MANA CIRCULATION METHODS OF HUMANS WHEN YOU POSSESS SUCH A GIFT...
A deep voice rumbled in Vlad’s mind as he suddenly jolted upright.
"Does it hurt anywhere?" Chloe’s voice followed the moment he woke.
He looked around, finding himself on a single bed in an infirmary with Chloe sitting right next to him.
"What just happened?" he murmured, confusion lacing his features, his face pale and his breathing heavy.
"You suffered a mana backlash," Chloe revealed, brushing the damp hair from his eyes. Although her expression was neutral, her fingers trembled as they moved around his forehead. Vlad could clearly sense that she was terrified.
He took a deep breath, pulling himself together, and said, holding her hand, "I am alright, Chloe."
"You spat blood," Chloe countered, her eyes lowered. "Scary mana covered your body. I-I was s-scared."
Her voice broke slightly as she said those words. Vlad leaned closer to her, placed his hand on her head, and said, his voice gentle, "Look, I am completely fine now. Don’t worry, Chloe. Nothing could happen to me. Have you forgotten who I am?"
"Vlad, the next Legendary Knight," Chloe said those words with a tone of finality, as if there was nothing left to discuss.
"Exactly!" Vlad chuckled, ruffling her hair. He checked the time on his phone. It was 9:32 a.m. He had been out for fifteen minutes. "Did you bring me here?"
Chloe shook her head. "You were brought here on a stretcher. Professor Victor removed the scary mana from your body," she revealed.
Vlad pressed his forehead and released a groan. "That must have been embarrassing. Now the news is going to spread that the Crownbearer suffered a mana backlash during Mana Heart formation."
He did not mind being talked behind his back too much, but now the other freshers would think he was weak and begin to challenge him for the title of Crownbearer.
He shook his head, dismissing those thoughts, before turning his gaze to Chloe, who was not even blinking as she looked at him, as if he would disappear the moment she did.
"So... was it the principal who taught you how to form the mana heart?"
"No," Chloe replied as she leaned closer, her voice barely above a whisper. "In truth, I did not form a mana heart. I do not need to form one."
"What do you mean?" Vlad asked, his brows furrowing in confusion.
"When I formed the Primordial Core, I also gained the ability to channel mana without a mana heart."
"B-but how is that possible?" Vlad exclaimed, obviously shocked. Every human needed a source to channel mana, whether it was a mana ring or a mana heart. He had never heard of any human using mana without a source.
"I do not know," Chloe replied, shaking her head. "The Principal told me that I will learn the reason once I become strong. She also told me not to tell anyone about this... not even you."
"Eh?" Vlad raised an eyebrow.
Before he could ask the obvious, Chloe answered, "Now we both know a secret of each other’s."
She pressed her palm against his chest, making him lie back on the bed. "Rest. I will bring you apple juice."
"Okay, Chloe mama," Vlad said in a teasing tone, lying back.
Chloe’s ears turned red at his choice of words. She pinched the skin of his forearm, since hitting a patient was not a good idea. "Talking nonsense."
She rose from her seat and went outside, the door swinging behind her before coming to a stop at the centre.
Now that Vlad was alone, his attention turned to the voice he had heard while unconscious. It was a familiar voice. Perhaps because he had been dizzy when he heard it, it took him more than a few seconds to remember it. It belonged to the black dragon he had met during his core formation.
’But what does he mean by those words?’ Vlad wondered, scratching his temple. ’Lord Dragon...’ he called, and unsurprisingly, no response came from the other side.
’What gift do I possess... wait! Does he mean...’Vlad’s eyes widened as he finally connected the dots.
"Ren, show me the Art of Dragon Breathing."
[Art of Dragon Breathing]
Description: A mythical art bestowed by the Legacy System that allows the host to use the mana-channeling method of the mighty Dragon Race.
{Tap to learn}
[Warning! Once you learn this technique, your race will be permanently altered. You will no longer be able to use human mana cultivation methods or techniques.]
