Chapter 16: Lian’s Secret Leaked?!

Chapter 16: Chapter 16: Lian’s Secret Leaked?!The campsite was cloaked in a tense silence, broken only by the occasional rustle of the wind weaving through the trees. Everyone was in their tents, resting, save for Mage Patrick, who stood watch over the group, ever vigilant. He would alert them at the first sign of danger. "What the hell!" Lian jolted awake, his head throbbing as if struck by a hammer. His ankle pulsed faintly, a reminder of where he was and the ordeal he’d endured. "That was... strange," he muttered, frowning as he rubbed his temples. He’d dreamt of bizarre geometric symbols, fantastical shapes swirling in his mind, but now... they were gone, slipped away like smoke. "Mh..." He closed his eyes, trying to summon even a single image, but nothing came. Minutes passed, and his efforts yielded only frustration. "Well, no point dwelling on it," he said, sitting up on his cot. Only an hour had passed since they’d set up camp. "Patrick hasn’t roused us, so I guess no monsters are coming... for now." "Good. I feel rested enough. Time to train." With a determined nod, he crossed his legs into the lotus position. "Geometric Meditation." A line appeared in his mind. By now, Lian was familiar with the process, almost instinctive in its execution, like a painter brushing strokes across a canvas of thought. "Hm, it’s tough, but not as bad as last time..." he thought. The last time, it had felt like moving a mountain with his bare hands. Now, it was more like pushing against a sturdy tree—still impossible for an ordinary human, but Lian was no ordinary human. Yet the longer he drew the line in his mind, the more taxing it became. "Just a bit more," he urged himself, sweat beading on his forehead as he pushed harder. But it was no use. He’d only managed half a line, and going further felt impossible. "Damn it, what am I supposed to do? If I can’t progress with this technique, how can I hope to get stronger?" Frustration etched itself across his face. No one had warned him that being a Mage would be this hard. "Huh?" A sudden thought struck him. "Wait a second... what if meditation is supposed to be an incredibly long and grueling process? Even Patrick doesn’t look like a young man anymore... Let’s say he awakened at 17... he looks about, what, 25?" Lian groaned, running his hands through his hair. "Damn it, so it’ll take years just to advance from Bronze 1 to Bronze 2? And here I thought the System would make me ridiculously fast. This is a scam!" He let out a soft growl, slumping back onto the cot, his hopes sinking like a stone in a river. "No, that can’t be right... There has to be a way. Think, Lian, think..." Closing his eyes again, he racked his brain for answers, but nothing surfaced. The only thing that came to mind was the other meditation technique, but it hadn’t worked for him before. "Wait a minute!" Lian shot upright, an idea sparking to life, bright and fierce like a flame in the dark. "What if I combined both techniques somehow? It worked with the fireball—I drew a circle, spoke the arcane words, and boom, a powerful fireball materialized in my hands. What if there’s something similar for meditation?" With newfound determination, he settled back into position. First, he visualized the standard Mage meditation technique. Instantly, he found himself in a familiar place—the well from his childhood home. Countless blue orbs of light appeared around him, ready to be gathered. "Good. Now... Geometric Meditation!" But... nothing happened. No lines, no sensation, nothing. Just as Lian was about to sigh in frustration for the umpteenth time, he noticed something. A faint, translucent line appeared inside one of the blue orbs, so subtle he would’ve missed it if the orb hadn’t been so close. "There it is!" he thought, excitement surging as he prepared to draw the line. Steadying his mind and suppressing his eagerness, Lian dove into the task. A moment later— The line took shape, almost effortlessly. This time, it was far easier than before. The blue orb shot into his body, merging with his dantian. A burst of energy flooded through him, invigorating his senses. The pain in his ankle dulled slightly, and his mental and physical fatigue eased, if only a little. He even felt a touch stronger. "Yes! I did it!" he shouted, eyes snapping open as the meditation ended, his voice ringing with triumph in the small tent. "I feel better... well, a little. It’s nothing compared to Geometric Meditation alone, but it’s something. I can grow stronger this way, and when I’m ready, I can keep drawing lines in Geometric Meditation." Wasting no time, Lian threw himself back into gathering the blue orbs, using the same hybrid technique. The absorption wasn’t instantaneous. Each orb could be drawn into his body quickly, but refining the spiritual energy into mana took time. And time passed. One by one, the orbs were absorbed into his dantian. But after ten orbs, something changed. His dantian was full, his body brimming with mana. He couldn’t take in any more. If he tried, Lian would explode—not literally, but the feeling was close enough. "Phew," he sighed, satisfied. "My limit seems to be ten orbs..." "I feel noticeably stronger, and all my fatigue seems to have vanished!" he murmured, nodding to himself. Seizing the momentum, Lian decided to try drawing the line again. "Geometric Meditation." Once more, a translucent line appeared in his mind. The process was familiar, but this time, it felt distinctly different. "Yes! I was right!" he thought, thrilled, as he drew the line. Seconds later, a glow enveloped his mind, and mana surged into his body. But then... something unpleasant happened. Lian had forgotten one crucial detail: his body was already saturated with refined, ready-to-use mana. He couldn’t absorb any more. "Oh, crap—" he hissed before his body seized involuntarily. Pain tore through him, sharp and all-consuming. He was experiencing the side effect of too much mana. If running out of mana was called a Mana Break, this was known as Mana Overflow—a state where the dantian was overloaded, and the excess mana had to be expended. Until then, excruciating pain wracked the body. Lian was living that agony now. Without another thought, his body screaming in pain beyond imagination, Lian stumbled out of his tent. He was doubled over, struggling to breathe, his chest heavy, his abdomen feeling like it might burst. "Damn it, damn it, damn it!" he cursed, desperate for help. As if answering his pleas, Patrick appeared beside him, his presence a sudden anchor in the chaos. "Use the fireball, now!" the Mage shouted, his brow furrowed as he studied the boy. Lian, clinging to Patrick’s words, visualized a circle in his mind using his ability, Geometric Spell: Circle. His thoughts were singular, focused only on drawing the symbol as quickly as possible. "How the hell did you end up like this?!" Patrick muttered, watching Lian close his eyes and concentrate on casting the spell. Seconds later, a fireball materialized in Lian’s hands, crashing into the ground before them. Patrick’s eyes widened, his jaw dropping into a perfect ’O’. The spell’s power was... underwhelming, barely average. But that wasn’t what shocked him. Lian, feeling a slight relief, knew it wasn’t enough. Without hesitation, he conjured another fireball. Then— Another. Three fireballs in total burst from his hands, and his body finally calmed. The mana that had been tearing through him, causing unbearable pain, subsided. His head, however, began to feel heavy. "Damn it, I’m an idiot..." Lian muttered, lifting his gaze to the figure beside him. It was Patrick. He’d saved him. "Huh?" Lian blinked, catching the Mage’s expression. Patrick looked utterly dumbfounded. He heard Patrick muttering something, his voice tinged with disbelief, but Lian’s head was still spinning too much to make out the words. Patrick was on the verge of a breakdown. His body trembled, his eyes locked on Lian as if he were staring at a monster. "Incredible! Incredible! What in the world did I just witness?!" he repeated under his breath, his voice a mix of awe and disbelief.