It was late in the night; he finally got the fill of it.
So, with a slight thrill in his mind, he decided to go to sleep, since the next morning, he needed to go and rush to develop basic stamina, although he could do that by simply leveling up, but he had a gist that training his body would definitely benefit him and so, without wasting any moment, he slept on his bed like a log.
The next morning—4:30 AM.
A soft chill hung in the air.
Lin Wei opened his eyes, greeted by the pre-dawn stillness outside the window. The air was crisp, and a light mist clung to the ground. It felt... refreshing.
He took a deep breath, his body naturally sliding out of bed.
The memories from the swordmaster's life flashed in his mind—mornings in frozen mountain ranges, training barefoot on icy stone, pushing the limits of mind and body in ways few could endure. Compared to that, this mild cold felt like a gentle breeze.
In truth, he no longer needed such hardship to build willpower—he had inherited the mindset of someone who had already walked that road. Still, he believed in one thing deeply: physical training mattered. It wasn't just about stats. It was about connection. Harmony between body and power.
So, without hesitation, he stepped outside and began his morning jog.
His current body wasn't well-trained, but at eighteen, he still had time. The best training window of his life is now, he reminded himself.
He pushed his pace slightly—not too hard, but enough to break a sweat. His muscles ached from yesterday's sword practice, but it only fueled his motivation.
And then—unexpectedly—he saw them.
Two girls are jogging ahead.
One was the same striking girl from the previous evening—his mysterious first crush, with that same mesmerizing presence that made it hard to look away.
Beside her was Bai Mei, dressed in athletic gear, her face slightly flushed from exertion but still energetic. Apparently, her class was physically demanding too—as a Shield Bearer, she was expected to build incredible endurance and strength to withstand enemy blows.
Lin Wei blinked.
"What kind of luck is this?" he thought, half amused, half panicked.
He hadn't expected to run into either of them this early in the morning—let alone both.
"Ehh!"
Both girls turned at the sound behind them.
Lin Wei, mid-jog, had been caught off guard too. But since they'd already noticed him, it felt awkward to pretend he hadn't seen them. So, he picked up his pace slightly and jogged up beside them, offering a polite smile.
"Good morning," he greeted calmly, trying to sound casual as his eyes briefly flicked to each of them.
It was only now that he truly noticed something he'd missed before—the black-haired girl from last night had entered the same room as Bai Mei. His mind quickly jumped to conclusions.
Wait... don't tell me both of them...?
But before he could spiral too far, a small window popped up in the back of his mind, showing that the black-haired girl didn't have a romantic attachment to anyone. No emotional link. That meant... she was unaffected.
His skill wouldn't trigger on her. A wave of relief—and perhaps a bit of disappointment—washed over him.
"Morning," Bai Mei replied with a faint blush, clearly flustered. Why him, this early? she grumbled to herself.
Then, her friend glanced at Lin Wei, her expression unreadable. After a moment, she spoke softly.
"Oh… the neighbor guy."
Bai Mei blinked, surprised. "Eh? He lives next to us?"
Lin Wei gave a small chuckle and nodded. "So you two are roommates, huh?"
There was a brief silence as all three processed the unexpected intersection of their lives.
The morning air was cool, the street still quiet, and somehow the awkwardness didn't feel so heavy anymore—just... a little funny.
"Then, I'll go ahead..." Lin Wei said with a small wave, picking up his pace as he dashed ahead.
He didn't look back, just focused on running.
By the time the girls finished a single round of the training field, he had already completed two, nearly three full laps. His legs burned, his lungs strained, and sweat clung to his body like a second skin. When the ache became too much, he finally slowed to a halt, finding a quiet corner on the grass.
Lowering himself down, he sat cross-legged, trying to control his breathing.
Inhale. Exhale. Slow and steady.
After a few moments, he reached into his NTR inventory and pulled out one of the Level 1 Mana Cores he'd received from the system. It gleamed faintly in the morning light—nothing special to look at, yet filled with dense potential.
Despite being a basic core, Lin Wei could already feel it pulsing in his hand.
My mana signature was tested as A+ during the high school exam, he reminded himself. I should be able to absorb this.
He closed his eyes, focusing.
Almost immediately, he felt the threads of mana seeping from the core, flowing into him. The sensation was warm and invigorating, like hot water trickling into his veins. His body began to stir, responding to the energy as it circulated through his internal channels. Every muscle that had been sore a moment ago now buzzed with a subtle, electrifying tension.
What Lin Wei didn't realize was how unusual this ease of absorption truly was.
In this world, where dungeons had only existed for less than 400 years, mana absorption techniques were still underdeveloped. Unlike the sword master's world—where civilization had refined such arts for millennia—people here often struggled with even the simplest infusion processes.
But to Lin Wei, it came naturally.
Within minutes, the mana core crumbled to dust in his hand, its energy fully absorbed. Once drained of their binding mana, the cores were little more than brittle mineral husks.
And yet, he was just getting started.
He opened his eyes, the clarity in them sharper than before.
So this is what it feels like to absorb mana properly...
Before long, he had completely absorbed two of the mana cores.
But it still wasn't enough.
A grin tugged at the corner of Lin Wei's lips. So that's how it is… The higher your potential, the more mana you can absorb. Those with shallow talent probably reach saturation after one core—or even half of one.
He leaned back, looking at the third core in his inventory, deep in thought.
No wonder many low-tier awakened fighters end up as DPS types focused purely on physical stats. They simply can't absorb mana fast enough, and instead rely on speed, strength, and technique. It's not that they chose to ignore intelligence—it's that they never had the capacity to build it up in the first place.
This kind of insight wasn't something most people here would ever consider. But Lin Wei wasn't most people. He had lived the life of a master swordsman in a world far more developed when it came to dungeon arts and class dynamics. There, the path one took wasn't always about choice—it was about what your body allowed you to pursue.
In that world, he had been a DPS-type swordsman, wielding blades with precision and ferocity. But now, as he sat there, feeling the lingering mana swirl inside him without even hitting one percent of the total capacity needed for Level 1, he realized something else:
This Summoner class… it's on a whole different scale.
Its potential for growth in terms of control and creation was off the charts. That explained the sluggish leveling. It wasn't that he was weak—it was that the depth of his mana pool was exponentially greater than most.
So what if others reach Level 2 or 3 faster? he thought. Their mana might be wide—but mine is deep. If they have a thousand points of mana and mine is just two hundred, each of mine still holds ten times the density. Their spells may be more frequent—but mine will be stronger, more refined, and more devastating.
This was the trade-off.
Slower growth, higher power.
A proper foundation.
A real difference-maker in battles where raw numbers didn't win—but quality of control did.
He clenched his fists lightly, the mana still pulsing within. There was a lot of work ahead, but for the first time, Lin Wei felt a rush of genuine excitement—not just for what he had, but for what he could become.