Right after Kael returned from the teleportation gate, he didn't stop to rest.
He had the Sealed Box with him, and he knew he didn't have time to waste.
Kael walked straight toward the training station, in a gym—a large place equipment and a practice room that is always open, day and night.
The place was quiet and empty, lit with glowing lanterns that gave off a soft blue light.
The night air was cool, but Kael's heart was burning with urgency.
Astral Severance.
That was the name of the skill.
And now, Kael was ready to try it.
He took a deep breath and held a training sword in both hands.
He didn't care how strange he looked, swinging at empty air. He wasn't here to impress anyone.
"Let's begin…"
SWISH!
He swung the blade hard.
But immediately, he felt it—
A huge pull from inside his body.
His mana—his energy—was being drained fast.
It felt like half of it was gone in a single second.
And the result?
Nothing.
No crack in the air.
No power.
No flash. Just silence.
Kael's knees gave out. He dropped to the ground.
"Ugh…!"
His hands were shaking, his body weak.
He couldn't move.
All his stamina was gone.
All his mana drained.
He was exhausted from just one swing.
"How can anyone use this?" he muttered. "It's too much…"
He sat on the cold floor, back against the wall, breathing heavily.
"This skill… it takes everything I have just to try it once."
"I don't even know how to use it".
After a while, he stood up again.
His arms still trembled, but he held the sword tighter.
He closed his eyes and tried again.
Another swing.
Another drain.
"I just have to keep going."
Hours passed.
Kael kept trying again and again.
Swinging. Falling. Breathing. Focusing.
Even when his body was in pain…
Even when his mana was gone…
He didn't stop.
He practiced until his muscles wouldn't move. Until he had nothing left.
................................................
Several hours passed.
By now, the entire first-year dormitory was silent.
Most students had collapsed onto their beds, too exhausted from the morning's 100 laps and afternoon combat drills. Their rooms were dark.
The hallways are quiet.
But not Kael.
While others rested peacefully, dreaming away the soreness in their legs, Kael remained in the training station inside gymnastics—sword in hand, body trembling, sweat-soaked clothes clinging to his skin.
"They're all asleep… resting after a hard day. But here I am… still swinging at air, chasing something I don't even understand."
He gritted his teeth, planting his feet once more on the padded floor of the gym's practice zone.
"I don't even know how this skill is supposed to work."
Kael's thoughts drifted back to the novel—the original story.
Zereth.
The one who used Astral Severance with terrifying precision.
"How did Zereth do it?"
In the novel, there had only been vague descriptions. A single line about "splitting the sky," another about "drawing power from within the void."
Not enough to guide him.
Not enough to teach him.
And yet… it was all Kael had.
He sat down against the wall, gasping, his hands still locked around the hilt of his sword.
His body was screaming.
His muscles burned with every small movement. His mana core felt dry—like a cracked well.
Still, he refused to leave.
"Tomorrow's a holiday," Kael whispered, smiling faintly. "I've got time."
And so… he rested that night.
The Next Day
While the academy rested, students enjoying their day off with books, snacks, and silence.
Kael ate huge amount of food abnormally and return immediately to the training room.
After eating, he took only five minutes to catch his breath—then stood once more.
"One more day to improve. One more day before training resumes. I have to make this count."
He swung.
And again.
And again.
Each strike drained him.
Each movement took more than it gave.
He trained whole day.
Nightfall
Darkness fell across Arcadia once more.
Lanterns flickered along the pathways.
The academy slept again.
But in the glowing silence of the training station, Kael stood alone, panting heavily, knees bent,
sword shaking in his grip.
SWOOSH—CRACK!
The air split only a little amount.
A faint shimmer. A tear in the stillness.
And then…
"I… did it. Not fully… not like Zereth… but…"
The effect was small.
Tiny.
But real.
He had finally drawn a response from the skill.
"I still don't know how it works," he whispered to the empty room. "But I will get it closer."
His arms were bruised.
His body sore.
Every muscle in his back ached like fire. But Kael smiled.
He looked down at his shaking hands and clenched them tighter around the hilt.
"It's not about mastering it overnight," he muttered. "It's about pushing myself one step at a time."
He stood again, legs trembling under his weight.
And with the moon high above Arcadia, he began once more—
Swinging. Training. Fighting against the limits of his body.
Because even if he didn't fully understand Astral Severance,
even if it left him broken each time—
Kael refused to stop.
Not ever.
And so the week ends.
The next morning.
As usual, all first-year students gathered at Ground Zero, dressed in training uniforms, some yawning, others stretching stiffly.
The sky was pale with early morning light.
Professor Sylvia stood at the front, her arms crossed.
Her eyes scanned the crowd before she spoke.
"Begin."
The signal was given.
We ran.
Kael didn't take long before the pain hit him.
His legs—already sore from yesterday—started burning after the first few laps.
His shoulders ached, his back throbbed, and his mana was barely recovering.
By the time he reached his 65th lap, his vision blurred slightly from the exhaustion that had built over two days of nonstop training.
He staggered, breathing heavily, arms swinging with effort as he pushed himself forward.
"I can't… run anymore today…".
It wasn't a matter of will anymore.
His body simply couldn't.
When Sylvia called time, Kael had completed only 65 laps.
A record low for him.
Half the students had reached the full 100.
Some had fallen just short—94, 96, 97.
Kael could see them, their expressions tired but proud.
He wasn't jealous.
Instead, he looked down at his trembling hands.
"I chose this path. I gave everything to learn Astral Severance. This is the cost."
He didn't expect recognition.
He didn't want pity.
He just needed time.
Time to catch up.
Time to understand.
Because even though he had fallen behind today…
Then he collapsed to the ground.