Buy! Even If We Have to Sell Everything!

Boom—!

A powerful blast of air erupted, sweeping in every direction. The training ground's floor cracked apart, and dust billowed through the air.

The neatly arranged training equipment was knocked askew by the impact, leaving the area in complete disarray.

Ais's gaze pierced through the swirling dust and locked firmly onto the silver-haired boy not far away, who still wore a faint smile. Her eyes burned brightly.

"What was that just now?"

As a wind-element magic swordswoman herself, Ais keenly sensed that Kashu's previous strike had been completely different from the magic he had demonstrated earlier.

That had not been an existing magic spell. Rather—

A special technique that directly used his own magic power to stir the surrounding elements?

Kashu smiled. "You could call it a special training method. Want to learn it?"

"I do! I want to learn! If I learn it, can I use wind like Ais too?"

Tiona, who had been watching from the side, could no longer restrain herself. She rushed up to Kashu like a whirlwind, grabbed his arm, and fired off questions in rapid succession.

"Kashu, that wasn't magic just now, was it? Is it hard to learn? Can I use it with dual blades too?"

Kashu tried to quietly pull his arm free, only to find that she was clinging to him tightly. He could only respond to her enthusiasm first.

"Calm down. That's a lot of questions. I have to answer them one at a time."

"Honestly, apologize, Tiona! How can you casually pry into a secret technique like that?"

Tione hurried forward and pulled her overly excited sister away.

Once his arm was free, Kashu glanced at the senior members who had gathered around the training ground at some point, a knowing curve rising at the corner of his lips.

"So you were all here."

Finn wore a friendly smile as he spoke on everyone's behalf.

"You're an unprecedented rookie, after all. It's only natural that everyone would be curious. Or are you not good with crowds?"

Kashu calmly shook his head.

He did prefer quiet, but he did not dislike lively gatherings either.

The senior members then formally exchanged greetings and introduced themselves.

Even Bete, who was usually arrogant and unruly, had reined in his fangs for once. His expression was focused, clearly showing that he acknowledged the strength Kashu had displayed.

Only then did they realize that Kashu was not as withdrawn as the members who had stayed behind had described him.

For a moment, relaxed smiles appeared on the senior members' faces.

The Loki Familia was a large organization, after all. If another lone wolf joined the senior ranks, managing things would be a real headache.

After the brief greetings, Finn got straight to the point and asked the question that had been on everyone's mind.

"So, what exactly was that thing you used just now?"

Kashu explained evenly, "Simply put, it's Magic Breathing."

"At first, it was a training method that strengthened the heart and lungs by taking in large amounts of oxygen, thereby improving physical fitness."

"Later, I modified it so that it could draw on one's own magic power, fully stimulate the body's potential, and produce an enhancement effect."

"Magic Breathing?"

The senior members carefully considered the unfamiliar term, finding Kashu's unheard-of training method difficult to comprehend.

There had always been a common understanding among adventurers.

Magic power was completely different from the other four basic abilities—strength, endurance, dexterity, and agility.

To improve attributes such as strength and endurance, one needed to temper the body relentlessly and excavate its latent potential.

Magic power, however, was condensed from spiritual energy. Only adventurers who possessed magic could improve it.

Yet the breathing technique Kashu had created followed an entirely different path.

With every breath, it first used magic power to stimulate the body, then used that magic power to amplify the other ability scores, ultimately achieving a comprehensive enhancement of one's physical functions.

This meant that while practicing the breathing technique, one could train all five basic ability categories at once.

Riveria, the most accomplished in magic among the senior members, was the first to grasp its secret and could not help but praise it.

"A genius concept! The key factor affecting ability growth has instead become magic power?"

"For adventurers with higher magic power, the ability growth gained through this training method would be even more pronounced."

"Even if the results may not be obvious in the short term, given enough time, it will certainly compensate for the frail constitution of mage-type adventurers!"

That said, for other adventurers, Magic Breathing was more of a bonus than a necessity.

After all, not everyone possessed a powerful magic furnace core like his, capable of supplying magic power without end.

With that thought, Kashu casually waved a hand.

"You flatter me. My own magic power is relatively exceptional, so naturally I focused on that aspect when modifying it."

As he spoke, he looked at the beautiful emerald-haired elf with a hint of curiosity in his eyes.

For some reason, Kashu felt that Riveria's voice carried a strange familiarity, as though they had known each other for many years.

Meanwhile, after hearing the explanation of the breathing technique, the other senior members all turned their gazes toward Tiona.

She pointed pitifully at herself as tears rapidly welled up in her innocent eyes.

"I... I... Waaaah~~~"

Tiona: o(TωT)o

Kashu looked at the tearful Tiona in confusion, vaguely guessing why she was acting this way.

Tione gently stroked her sister's head, while even Ais unusually patted her back in comfort.

Even Bete, whose mouth was normally the foulest, sensibly kept quiet.

To be fair, Bete had always hated his own magical talent and had never considered raising his magic power.

But if a clear opportunity to grow stronger lay before him, only for him to miss it because he lacked magical talent and could not condense enough magic power—

If that happened to him, he would probably sell everything he owned just to get his hands on a grimoire!

Of course, Bete was not the only one who thought of grimoires.

Riveria looked toward the contemplative Finn and made a suggestion.

"How about buying Tiona a grimoire?"

The moment those words were spoken, Kashu's suspicions were confirmed—

Tiona really could not use magic.

This world was vastly different from his original one.

Aside from elves, who were born able to control magic, whether others could wield that mysterious power depended entirely on whether the Divine Blessing had awakened a magic slot.

Magic had actually become a prerequisite for condensing magic power.

However, adventurers capable of awakening magic were already rare.

Even someone as strong as Tiona, a Level 5 first-class adventurer, did not possess a single spell.

Grimoires had emerged to address precisely this situation.

They were rare magical items that could only be created by mages who possessed both the [Mystery] and [Mage] development abilities.

Their primary function was to forcibly awaken magic within adventurers.

Even those who had never awakened magic could open that mysterious magic slot by reading a grimoire.

Because of their heaven-defying ability to change one's fate, every grimoire carried an astronomical price that made people shrink back, and they were often impossible to find even with money.

Finn pondered for a moment before raising his head. Looking at the tearful Tiona beside him, a helpless smile appeared on his lips.

"I'll ask Loki to gather information on grimoires. But Tiona, you need to prepare yourself mentally as well."

Tiona hurriedly wiped away her tears and asked anxiously, "Prepare for what?"

Bete curled his lips, his tone carrying a hint of mockery.

"Idiot Amazon, what else would you prepare for? Money, obviously."

Finn nodded. "Grimoires on the market are already priced at over a hundred million Valis. High-grade grimoires capable of awakening a magic slot will only be more expensive."

"The Familia can cover the cost for you first, but you'll need to find a way to repay it as soon as possible. Is that all right, Tiona?"

"Of course! I'll work even harder to earn money!"

Tiona's tears vanished instantly, and a brilliant smile bloomed across her face as she began imagining what she would look like after learning magic.

Ais, who had been silently waiting nearby, gently tugged at Kashu's sleeve. Her clear amber-gold eyes were filled with expectation and longing.

"When can you teach me Magic Breathing?"

Meeting Ais's gaze, Kashu clearly caught the urgency and obsession within it, nearly burning like flames.

This girl is a lot like I used to be.

A faint ripple stirred in his heart, and his eyes filled with nostalgia.

Dong—!

The bell atop Twilight Manor rang out melodiously, reminding everyone that it was time for dinner.

"Let's eat first."

Kashu's tone was calm, as though he were merely arranging an everyday matter.

"We'll officially begin training tomorrow morning. I hope you're ready."