Noah's (POV)
Nine months passed in a flash after we were humbled by Julia and Richard. But instead of discouraging us, it had the opposite effect. It pushed us all to train even harder.
Every morning, we trained under Richard or Julia, and at night, we retreated to my soul space. Over time, I began to slow time in the soul space. What should have been a single week of rest turned into ten days of intense training. In the real world, it felt like just a few hours.
My parents weren't too happy about the girls staying in my room every night. They'd voice their concerns, but they couldn't do much. After all, every morning, the girls would show an entire month's worth of progress in just a night. The results were undeniable. My parents didn't fully understand what was going on, but they were happy as long as we were all fine.
I had given Scarlett the treasure I had beg—I mean, asked—from the Divine Dragon. It had unlocked her hidden potential and evolved her assassin class into a secret, locked profession. For some reason, she still couldn't fully harness its power, but I was sure her potential had surpassed SS rank, if not higher.
Her Shadow and Wind elements had grown exponentially. She could now create fifty shadow clones without breaking a sweat. Her shadow wolves had evolved as well, reaching a new stage. What was even more impressive was her ability to dual-cast Wind and Shadow, even combining the two into deadly combinations. Her dagger art had been honed even further, especially thanks to my mom's training. As a gift, she also gave her a dagger art that suited her well.
Lyra's growth was remarkable. She had also learned to harness her aura, but unlike mine, which was golden and warm like a flame, hers was bluish-white and intensely cold. Every time she sparred with her lance, infusing her aura into each strike, I could feel the chill in the air. If I didn't have my flame-type aura, I might have frozen just from being near her. But that wasn't all. Her Ice element had evolved into Snow. She could now use both Ice and Snow elements in tandem.
My dad gave her a spear art that matches her style well.
You might ask, aren't Ice and Snow the same thing? Well, my friend, they're not. Here's the difference:
Ice is dense and solid, while Snow is lighter and more spread out.
Ice appears clear or slightly cloudy, often glimmering with cold energy, while Snow consists of light, falling flakes or powder, creating a soft, cold atmosphere.
Ice focuses on freezing and solidifying, whereas Snow is more about accumulation, cold weather, and slowing effects.
If she fully masters her Snow element, she could freeze the air itself—perhaps even slow down the fibers of time. It's terrifying to think about.
As for Layla, she'd been wreaking havoc on both the training field and in my soul space with her cursed Flame and Scythe. I don't know how, but after starting to sleep in my room, her cursed flames grew denser. They were now pitch black, with only a faint green hue remaining.I think it's connected to her emotions as she has been extremely happy after getting to sleep and wake up with me . I had given her a cursed weapon art that suited her well, and she had mastered the first two forms. Watching her train was like witnessing an unstoppable force.
And now, there was me—the protagonist. I hadn't slacked off either. Every time I was in my soul space, I trained with eleven clones. My mastery over Flame, Light, Earth, Wind, Lightning, Shadow, Water, and Nature had all surpassed 70%. My Space element was at 40%, and Time… well, I hadn't been able to train it much on my own. I didn't want to rely on the system's cheats, so I'd tried pushing myself. I even got beaten up by the girls when I tried to slow their movements during sparring.
But after all that, I was able to slow time around me by 10%. I still couldn't use any Time-based spells, but I could feel the opponents' movements slowing down. Maybe it's incomplete for now, but it's a start.
I was thinking of calling the headmaster to help me with it. With the academy closed for the time being, I could certainly use his guidance.
My Sword Art had progressed as well. I had mastered the first three forms to a master level and the fourth form was halfway there. My sword aura was five times stronger now. I dare not try the fifth form again. The last time I accidentally used it against the Shadow Prince, every cell in my body felt like it was breaking apart. Blood poured from every wound. It's just too powerful. Plus, it requires mastery over the Time element, which is another reason I haven't dared to attempt it again.
The biggest gain, however, was my Mana Domain. I had unlocked its full potential. Now, my domain had three distinct stages, each one stronger than the last. I could even control the mana within a human if they were inside my domain.
Throughout all this time, everyone had grown stronger. The girls were now all A-rank, and I was at the peak of A-rank. I would have been able to break through to S-rank, but my parents advised against it. They told me it was a major step that would cause many internal changes in my body. Before I took that step, they said I needed to solidify my foundation.
My bond with the girls have became stronger after spending weeks together every night while training in my soul space, we have gotten really closer . Even Lyra has started to open up to me on her own now .
There was also something strange that happened: a system update. For the first time, the system gave me something for free. It felt like a miracle. I jumped on my bed in excitement.
Whatever it gave me, I was thankful for it. Even if it turned out to be trash, I was grateful.
Now, here I am, sitting on my bed. After months of non-stop training, we all finally decided to take a break for the first time. It had been a long time coming, and I couldn't help but feel excited to see how strong I am currently .
"Status," I muttered, anticipation building up inside me.
To be continued...