Gale Strider awoke in his bed, drenched in sweat. His breathing was ragged, his body trembling from the remnants of the vision that plagued his sleep. It was the same one again—an enigmatic technique that allowed the perception and absorption of mana even while in motion.

  The current system of mana manipulation dictated a rigid rule: to observe mana, one had to remain still. Any attempt to do so while moving would lead to mana deviation—an excruciatingly painful process that could leave a person crippled or even dead.

  Yet, the technique he saw, the **World Harmonizing Technique**, shattered that rule entirely.

  Gale sat up, gripping his sheets as he processed what he had seen. A technique that allowed mana flow in battle… if he could master it, his growth would surpass anything conventional training could offer. Determined, he closed his eyes and attempted to replicate the technique.

  The moment he began, his body reacted violently. A burning heat coursed through his veins, as if molten fire had replaced his blood. Sweat poured down his body like a torrential downpour, and his limbs trembled under the strain. He clenched his teeth and endured for half an hour before his body gave out.

  Collapsing onto his bed, his mind drifted into a trance. When he entered his **mind space**, he was met with an unexpected sight—**twelve strokes** of light shimmering in the void, indicating his progress in activating the Storm Mark.

  Out of the **twenty-seven strokes**, twelve were filled, and the others had begun to partially form. The realization struck him—each completed stroke brought him closer to unlocking the true power of his mark. His heart pounded with excitement, his exhaustion forgotten.

  A smirk crept onto his lips before turning into uncontrolled laughter.

  But his enthusiasm was soon tempered by reality. Each stroke required exponentially more mana than the last. The second stroke had demanded twice as much as the first, the third twice as much as the second, and so on. Filling all **twenty-seven strokes** would require an astronomical amount of energy.

  Still, he had found a way to accelerate his mark’s activation.

  Determined, Gale closed his eyes and focused.

  *"Show me more visions,"* he silently pleaded with his mark. Minutes passed. Then an hour. Yet, nothing came.

  Frustration burned within him. In his impatience, he tried to forcefully activate the technique again.

  A sharp, searing pain exploded through his body. Blood spewed from his lips as his limbs convulsed. His vision blurred, and he collapsed onto the floor, gasping for breath.

  It was then he realized—there was a **price** for overuse. He needed at least **four hours** to recover before attempting the technique again.

  As he struggled to regain his breath, reality struck him—

  Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  *"I’m going to be late for school."*

  ---

  ### **Training and Challenges**

  Days passed, and Gale continued his rigorous training. By the end of the week, he had successfully filled **sixteen strokes**.

  Months passed.

  His progress only grew.

  ---

  ### **Three Months Later – Combat Class**

  In the academy's combat class, Gale faced off against Luminer, a fellow student and his frequent sparring partner.

  Both wielded practice swords, engaging in what seemed like an evenly matched duel.

  In reality, Gale was on the receiving end of a **one-sided beating**.

  No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't land a clean hit on Luminer.

  Panting heavily, he finally voiced his frustration. "Why do you always pick me as your sparring partner?"

  Luminer smirked, twirling his wooden sword. "Because you're the best punching bag available. If you don’t start fighting properly, I’ll beat you up even after class."

  Gale scowled. "Why are you threatening me, you dastard?!"

  The moment the words left his lips, Luminer's expression darkened. Without hesitation, he **closed the distance** and delivered a brutal strike to Gale’s ribs.

  The impact sent him sprawling to the ground. The class erupted into laughter.

  Jon, a classmate and friend, helped him up. "What did you do this time?"

  "I swear I didn’t do anything!" Gale groaned. "I’m not a troublemaker!"

  The students laughed harder. It was common knowledge—**whenever Gale ended up bruised, it meant he had done something reckless.**

  Then—

  A **sudden tremor** shook the training ground.

  Beneath them, something **stirred**.

  A **demon beast** erupted from the ground, its monstrous form sending students scrambling in terror.

  ---

  ### **The Battle Against the Demon Beast**

  The creature was massive—**a giant rat-like beast covered in long, matted fur, its razor-sharp teeth dripping with venom**.

  It let out a **piercing screech**, locking its beady, blood-red eyes onto Luminer.

  Then, it lunged.

  Julion, the combat instructor, roared, "RUN!" before charging toward the beast.

  But Luminer remained **unmoved**.

  As the creature neared, Luminer **lifted his hand**. In an instant, **chains of ice** materialized from the air, wrapping around the demon beast and stopping it mid-lunge.

  The beast shrieked, thrashing violently. **Cracks formed on the ice**, signaling its imminent escape.

  But Luminer’s **smile** never faded.

  He raised his free hand. A **shard of ice** formed at his fingertips—**razor-sharp and deadly**.

  With a flick of his wrist, the ice spike shot forward like an arrow. It pierced the creature’s **open mouth**, impaling its skull.

  The beast let out a final, agonized screech—

  Then collapsed, **lifeless**.

  Silence followed.

  The students and teachers stared in stunned disbelief.

  Luminer dusted off his hands, his expression as composed as ever.

  ---

  ### **The Staffroom Discussion**

  Inside the academy’s staffroom, the principal and the teachers sat around a table, discussing the incident.

  "Has the situation been handled?" the principal asked.

  Julion nodded. "Yes. No students were killed, but we discovered something alarming—the beast was **lured** into the academy using **basic-grade beast medicine** to drive it into a frenzy."

  The principal’s face darkened. "Who is responsible?"

  "We are still investigating."

  Then, the conversation **shifted**.

  "When did Luminer activate his mark?" the principal asked.

  A tense silence filled the room.

  Finally, **Alaric Voss**, the history teacher, spoke.

  "Luminer activated his mark **three months ago**."

  The revelation stunned everyone.

  "And why weren’t we informed sooner?"

  Alaric stood, gathering his materials. "If you're planning to fight over who gets to train him, don’t bother." He glanced at them with a knowing smirk.

  "He already has a high-tier trainer. None of you can claim him now."

  With those words, he left.

  The room fell into silence once more.

  The realization settled in—

  **Luminer was far stronger than anyone had anticipated.**

  ---

  ### **To Be Continued...**