After completing his registration at the reception, Noah was directed toward the changing area. The training center also provided clothes specifically designed for training.
Inside the spacious locker room, one corner was neatly arranged with multiple sets of sportswear in different sizes.
They were clean, well-maintained, and neatly folded.
Noah walked over and selected a set that fit him perfectly. It was entirely black—light, flexible, and comfortable against his skin.
After changing, he loosely tied his hair back and stepped out toward the training floor.
He entered an open training area.
Before touching any weapons, he began with some basic stretching.
He rolled his shoulders slowly, feeling his joints loosen. He stretched his arms across his chest and then behind his back. He bent forward, stretching his hamstrings, then rotated his waist to warm up his core.
After that, he did some light exercises. Push-ups, squats, and a short burst of jumping drills got his blood flowing.
His breathing gradually steadied. His muscles warmed up. When the stretching was done, Noah moved toward the weapon racks.
Rows of training weapons were displayed neatly.
'What should I try first?' he wondered.
He stood there for a moment, thinking. Then his hand reached out.
Noah picked up a long sword.
The hilt felt cold against his palm. The weight was balanced—not too heavy, not too light.
'Let's practice both. I'll do sword basics first and then the spear.'
He stepped into an empty practice zone and took a simple stance.
One step forward.
His grip tightened around the hilt. He began with basic slashes.
First, he performed a horizontal cut. Then a vertical cut. Then a diagonal slash.
At first, his movements felt slightly stiff, as if his body remembered what to do but his mind was still catching up.
But gradually, something began to click.
The muscle memory of the previous Noah surfaced. He adjusted his footing. His wrist control improved.
He repeated the basic forms again and again.
'This feels good!' Noah thought with a smile.
He slashed, then recovered.
Step forward.
Turn to the side.
He also focused on his footwork, not just the sword techniques.
Minutes passed.
Sweat slowly began to form on his forehead.
His breathing grew heavier, but he didn't stop.
He practiced thrusts next. They were precise forward lunges, focusing on control rather than speed.
After nearly half an hour, sweat was pouring down his body. His black training shirt clung to his torso.
Finally, he lowered the sword.
"Not bad..." he muttered, though he knew he still lacked refinement.
He returned the sword to its place.
'But why don't I have any techniques despite being from a noble family? Was I not talented enough to learn any?'
He wondered as he reached for a spear.
The long shaft felt different—more reach and more control over distance.
He positioned his hands properly and stepped back into the practice area.
He performed a basic thrust, the tip of the spear moving forward horizontally and cutting cleanly through the air.
Then he withdrew it.
Taking a step forward, he swept the spear to the side.
He repeated the basic forms again and again.
The spear movements felt smoother than the sword.
His body seemed more comfortable maintaining distance rather than engaging at close range. He practiced forward lunges, low sweeps, and controlled spins to adjust his stance.
Sweat dripped from his chin onto the floor.
His arms started to ache slightly.
"Hah! Hah!"
Only after his breathing became heavy did he finally stop.
His chest rising and falling, Noah wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand.
'That felt good. I feel more comfortable using weapons the more I train.'
Noah returned the spear to the rack and then sat in a corner of the room.
He could feel some eyes on him.
Well, it was natural because of his appearance.
'Tch! Being good-looking attracts too much attention for no reason. Though I don't mind it if it's women looking at me.'
He thought.
He sat cross-legged to circulate his mana and meditate.
He straightened his back.
Then he closed his eyes, took a slow breath in, and exhaled.
He focused inward.
Soon, he felt it again. Something warm stirred in his lower abdomen—near his dantian.
A gentle current. It began to flow through his veins, spreading across his limbs, chest, and shoulders.
It was smooth and subtle. Yet undeniably present.
Mana.
The source of everything in this world.
The more he circulated it, the more refreshed he felt.
'It's not that hard.'
For simple circulation, at least.
He guided the mana carefully through familiar pathways, following the faint memories left behind by the previous Noah.
The flow stabilized.
His breathing slowed.
His awareness became sharper.
But he knew this was only the easy part.
'Now it's time for the harder part.'
Advancing the Mana Core was not achieved through mere accumulation.
A practitioner first had to absorb the ambient mana of the world and refine it into a pure form, because the mana that existed in nature was raw and unstable for the human body.
Once refined, the mana was guided into the core, where it accumulated and formed condensed layers around it, gradually increasing its density and capacity.
As the layers built up, the core became saturated with energy, pushing it toward its limit.
Yet accumulation alone was not enough.
The layered mana had to be compressed and fused together, expelling hidden impurities and stabilizing the core's structure.
Only when the core could withstand this immense pressure and reach perfect refinement could one break through to the next stage.
At that moment, the core's color would shift, signifying its evolution.
Noah extended his senses outward.
At first, there was nothing. But soon, he felt it. Tiny particles, like faint sparks, drifted through the air around him.
Raw mana. He began absorbing it slowly. The moment the foreign mana entered his body, he felt the difference.
It was rough. It was unstable. It needed to be refined before it could become suitable for the human body.
His brows tightened slightly.
He guided the raw mana toward his core and began refining it as he circulated it, making it more compatible with his body.
It wasn't as smooth as circulating his own mana.
It felt like forcing sand through narrow pipes. His breathing became uneven. Sweat began forming along his forehead. The refining process demanded intense focus.
It required precision.
One mistake could destabilize the flow.
Then he imagined the purified mana accumulating around his core, forming a thin layer over it.
This process was meant to gradually increase the core's density and capacity.
He tried to compress the accumulated layer.
Condensing it.
Then pressing it tighter.
The pressure increased.
A dull ache formed in his lower abdomen.
His jaw clenched unconsciously.
More sweat dripped down his neck.
His black training clothes slowly darkened with moisture.
'This... is harder than I thought.'
The core resisted.
The mana around it trembled.
At one point, the flow almost slipped out of control, causing a sharp sting inside his chest. His breathing faltered. But he didn't stop. He steadied himself.
His focus was absolute.
Again, he refined the mana. However, he decided to simply refine and accumulate it in his core rather than trying to compress it.
Minute by minute, the condensed layer around his core grew denser. His body grew hotter. Sweat rolled down his temples and fell onto the mat beneath him.
His hands trembled slightly as they rested on his knees.
The hour felt endless.
"Hah!... Hah!"
Noah opened his eyes.
His breathing was ragged.
'I guess this much is enough for today.'