The training grounds of the Great Presia estate were silent.
A transparent, shimmering dome of mana sealed the entire area Roman's barrier spell. It pulsed faintly in gold and silver hues, ensuring that whatever destruction would unfold within would not touch the estate or its people.
Roman stood at the center.
His expression was calm.
Different.
He inhaled slowly.
Then
A dark-golden aura flickered around him.
"Fallen God Power… five percent."
The air trembled.
Not violently. Not explosively.
Controlled.
Measured.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"I've relied too much on swordsmanship," he murmured. "If this dungeon breakout scales beyond the first… I'll need more than steel."
He closed his eyes.
The Yin–Yang Core
Inside him, his Yin–Yang core rotated steadily.
A perfect balance.
One half radiating luminous golden mana divine resonance.
The other half emanating dense black energy fallen essence.
Unlike ordinary mages who possessed a singular mana nucleus, Roman's core functioned in dual polarity. The rotation between opposing forces created:
Stabilized mana output.
Reduced internal backlash.
Greater spell-layer tolerance.
Controlled amplification of incantation depth.
He raised his hand.
Magic circles began forming beneath his feet.
One layer.
Two.
Three.
Each layer stacked over the previous — intricate geometric arrays forming rotating spell matrices. The circles were not static; they spun in opposite directions to prevent collapse.
Four.
Five.
Six.
Seven.
The seventh circle locked into place with a sharp hum.
Roman exhaled slowly.
"Seven-layer incantation… stable."
Most archmages could barely sustain three without risking mana collapse.
Roman dismissed the thought.
"Not bad."
Nature Mana Manipulation
He extended his senses outward.
Mana floated in the atmosphere — vast and pure.
This world's mana density was absurd.
He filtered it.
Impure mana — unstable currents, negative emotional residue, chaotic distortions — were separated and discarded.
Only refined mana flowed toward him.
Golden particles streamed into his body.
Then
He unleashed it.
Fire spiraled outward.
Water condensed into spears.
Earth pillars erupted from the ground.
Silver shards formed mid-air and shot forward like divine bullets.
Large-scale devastation.
Then precision strikes.
Then piercing compression spells.
Wave after wave.
He adjusted size, density, velocity.
Hours passed.
The ground cracked. The barrier vibrated but held firm.
Roman lowered his hand.
A faint smirk appeared.
"This world never fails to amuse me."
He looked toward the sky.
"The mana here is vast… and they only use thirty percent of it."
A faint scoff.
"What a waste."
Acceleration and Astral Gate
He crouched slightly.
Acceleration magic surged into his legs.
The next second
He vanished.
A shockwave cracked the ground where he had stood.
He reappeared at the far edge of the barrier in an instant.
Again.
Again.
He refined micro-adjustments in trajectory and reaction time.
Then
A thin violet rift opened before him.
Astral Gate.
A teleportation pathway refined through spatial layering rather than brute-force displacement.
He stepped through and emerged behind a stone pillar.
"Range… stable."
He closed the gate.
Fusion of Worlds
Roman summoned the Archon Sword.
Black and gold aura ignited along the blade.
He stared at its edge.
"Let's experiment."
Tiny magic circles formed at the tip of the sword compressed spell matrices rotating in miniature form.
He swung.
The air split.
A shockwave tore across the training ground
But something new followed.
Two waves.
The first: raw sword essence infused with black-gold aura.
The second: a layered elemental burst woven into the slash itself.
They traveled separately… yet struck simultaneously.
Roman's eyes sharpened.
"It worked."
A low voice.
"Good."
Pushing the Limit
The aura around him intensified.
"Ten percent."
The Fallen God power surged.
The ground fractured deeper.
His magic output doubled.
Sword arcs tore the air apart.
Then
He pushed further.
"Twelve percent."
His body trembled.
Veins throbbed along his arms.
His hands shook.
Breathing became heavy.
The aura became unstable.
He clenched his teeth.
"Still… not enough control."
He immediately suppressed it.
Back to five percent.
The tremors stopped.
He stared at his trembling hand.
"Twelve percent… still too violent."
Frustration flashed in his eyes.
Then rage.
He resumed training.
Harder.
Faster.
More ruthless.
Hours passed.
Sweat drenched his clothes.
His breathing grew heavier.
Finally
He dismissed the barrier.
The dome faded.
Silence returned.
The Hooded Girl
As Roman walked toward the gallery leading to the bathhouse, he noticed movement ahead.
Someone running.
Fast.
He narrowed his eyes.
Acceleration magic activated.
He appeared in front of the figure and caught her wrist.
A hooded girl.
She struggled briefly.
Roman released her immediately.
"Miss. The celebration is in the estate hall."
No answer.
Her face remained hidden.
But for a split second
He noticed something.
Pointed.
Near her ear.
Then she pulled away and ran.
Roman watched her disappear into the shadows.
"…Strange."
He didn't pursue.
Instead, he continued toward the bathhouse.
Laughter echoed through the estate hall.
Jacob stood near the center, speaking with officials.
He glanced around.
"Where is Roman?"
Selena sipped from her cup casually.
"He went to train."
Jacob sighed.
"He doesn't want to attend?"
"No."
Jacob paused.
Then his eyes narrowed slightly.
"Bring him here."
Selena blinked.
"Father?"
"Drag him. Beat him. Do whatever you must."
He smiled faintly.
"Just bring him properly dressed."
Selena's grin widened slowly.
A dangerous glint appeared in her eyes.
"No problem, father."
She turned.
"I'll drag him."
Her laugh echoed faintly.
"Just you wait, Roman…"
Back at the Bathhouse
Roman suddenly coughed.
"…Why do I feel like someone is plotting against me?"
He shook his head.
After bathing, he changed into simple sleepwear.
Completely unaware.
Somewhere in the estate
His big sister was hunting.