“What?” Ben blurted out with a squint. “That mage commander said those techniques are hard to achieve. Unless I’ve missed something, how do you expect me to learn them?”

  Hauxwell cleared his throat, motioning Ben to come closer to him, and whispered, “Listen, I'm not saying the Hollow Moon’s training is inadequate or lacking, but they are stuck in their outdated ways, conceived hundreds of years ago. When someone suggests a new method to achieve great power, they label you a heretic. Those who agree with you don't know where to begin after years of being forced to learn the old ways.”

  Ben was gobsmacked. He didn't expect those words from someone who had been in a high-ranked role within the Hollow Moon. Maybe that could have been why Le’Vieux was chosen to take over the order instead of someone like Hauxwell, who held views that could send ripples through their proper way of doing things.

  Once Hauxwell received a nod from Ben, he continued, “You’re probably thinking about how Aella and I managed to do it. Well, Aella was the first to figure out energy exists in almost everything. Even something silly, like a rock, has vast amounts of energy locked within it. It’s just so small it’s impossible to see with our eyes. You have to tune yourself to its rhythm and feel it. It took us years to backtrack decades of progress until we could figure it out. From there, we created techniques [Mana Control] and [Mana Regeneration.]”

  Ben nodded. “You know, where I’m from, people study this field. We call it nuclear theory and have complex machines that can even see the small things you speak of. They even harnessed that energy to create weapons that can destroy entire cities within the blink of an eye.”

  Hauxwell’s jaw dropped, and his forehead filled with a frown. “I didn’t think you’d know what I was talking about. If what you say is true, then Aella is right. He did say that energy was enough to destroy entire continents if extracted in their entirety. I’m surprised you don’t know how to do what I will teach you.”

  Ben motioned at the van. “Well, my people rely on technology, and machines like yours rely on the system. And we don't have magic in my world. So you’ll have to teach me like I’m a complete newbie.”

  “Regardless, it saves us months of me explaining the little things to you. You should be able to pick things up rather quickly.” Hauxwel sat in the dirt with his legs crossed and motioned Ben to do the same before crisscrossing his fingers together. “I’ll guide you on how to do it, so follow my lead carefully.”

  Ben sat down in the same stance. “Alright, I’m ready.”

  Hauxwell started, “Physical training, system skills, taking potions, and using enchanted items will only get you so far before you hit a stone wall. To get the most out of magic, you must learn to become attuned to it and bend it to your will. At first, it will cost you a lot of your magic reserves. With proficiency, you will become more efficient before achieving greater feats. That’s where regeneration comes in. Once I teach you, you can take the energy from your surroundings and convert it into usable magic.” After pausing to catch his breath, he asked, “Are you ready to begin?”

  Ben thought it was a lot to take, but it did make sense. Even after Hauxwell had done a great job of making it sound simple, he knew it would take a lot of time and effort to get it right. Taking in a deep sigh, he exhaled, “Alright, I’m as ready as I’ll ever be. Let’s get to it.”

  “Close your eyes and concentrate on your breathing. Your goal is to block everything out except for my voice. It’ll be hard at first, but for this to work, you must have a clear mind free from distractions and enter a state of peace.” Hauxwell instructed.

  To Ben, the process was similar to meditation. He was accustomed to its effectiveness and had often used it in stressful situations. He concentrated on distancing himself from the distracting sounds around him.

  The thuds of marching soldiers faded along with the voices of people going about their business, but it wasn't enough for him to distance himself from them. He hit the rewind button in his mind and regurgitated his feelings while suspended in the darkness of space during his visions. He artificially put himself back in there when it suddenly started to work. His senses became numb apart from the reverberations of the magic within him.

  It felt like hours had passed before Hauxwell’s voice was heard again. “It’s good to see you’re getting the idea. Can you feel the magic within you?”

  “If you’re talking about the humming and vibrating, then yes, I feel it,” Ben replied.

  “Now, I’m going to increase the presence of my magic. I want you to focus your concentration on it. It will seem faint at first and hard to detect, but once you know what you’re doing, you can do it without realizing.” Hauxwell explained.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

  Ben followed his instructions but hit a roadblock when he couldn't feel a thing. He returned to when he was about to be obliterated by the scorpion riders and that powerful charged attack. Ben remembered how the magic in his body started reacting to near-death reactions. He pulled those feelings out from the depths of his mind and once again tried to replicate them.

  From the nothingness, Ben felt a tingle before the buzzing started. It was going at a low frequency and had an oomph, like standing near a bass guitar amp deck. “I’ve got it!” Ben exclaimed.

  “Alright. That's great work. I will reduce my power to the lowest I can. Keep concentrating, and don't lose it.”

  Ben felt the energy fading at an increasingly fast rate. He used every bit of concentration to keep a hold of it, but it left his grasp and vanished before he could do anything. “Damn it! It’s gone.”

  “Don't worry too much about it. You’ve done a great job, considering it was your first time. Before you burn yourself out, this is enough for the first time. You must reduce your concentration and slowly crawl out of this state of mind.” Hauxwell instructed before his voice vanished.

  Ben distanced himself from that state of mind before his normal senses returned. He felt oddly cold, almost frozen solid. A colder breeze whistled against him before he felt his muscles start to cramp. The real shocker came when he opened his eyes and saw the faint blue darkness of the evening. It was like the whole day had whizzed past him.

  Plumes of smoke rose from various campfires, sparkling with small embers from the campsite. Even a few people were setting up torchlights, giving him and Hauxwell curious glances.

  Ben scratched his head. “Surely, this can't be right. We were only in there a few hours.”

  “When you are in that state of mind, you will lose the sense of time. That is why you should be careful and only work on your proficiency with it in small bursts. Surprisingly, you did much better than I thought you would. I don't know about you, but I need to fill my belly with some food. Let’s continue this tomorrow.” Hauxwell finished, rubbing his stomach.

  Ben took a moment to stand up, but his legs wobbled like jelly. Then, pins and needles emerged, making each step to the inn painful. He shook his head and said, “We need better seating arrangements.”

  Ben found himself meditating again.

  After almost a week, his routine had improved. He had become more attuned to the surrounding energy and could detect small amounts of it. He had also been taught to adjust his magical energy to change its characteristics. According to Hauxwell, the changes weren’t a game changer but would help with the next step.

  Hauxwell started, “Now that you feel the energy of your surrounding area, I want you to focus on the energy in the ground. Adjust your magic so it hums with the same rhythm.”

  Ben tried over a dozen times to match the frequency of his magic. He pushed his body to almost the point of no return and found himself at a crossroads where he knew if he kept it up, his body would perish to dust. He didn't want to let Hauxwell down as the man had spent every moment of the last few days trying to teach him.

  Pulling himself out, Ben took a moment of pause. “Give me some time. I need to gather myself before trying again.”

  You can do this!

  Ben had developed a theory about detecting the energies of other things. They were all waves and vibrations playing in a rhythmic melody, like the notes of songs, each with its specific genre and nuances. He remembered the emotions he felt listening to his favorite songs and their impact on him. Instead of forcing and changing his energy to match the outside one, he figured it might work if he let it affect him.

  “Alright, I’m going to try this again,” Ben muttered, diving back into a deep state of concentration.

  Ben focused and listened to the energy from the ground, implementing his plan. Suddenly, he felt an overwhelming tsunami of relaxation as the pieces of the puzzle became perfectly aligned. Without even realizing it, his energy now matched that of the ground almost perfectly.

  Hauxwell chuckled. “I had my doubts you’d be able to do it, but here you are. Now that you're on the same page, you’ve hooked it like a fish. Now you just have to reel it in for the catch. It will start flowing into your body like a river. Once you’ve mastered this, you’ll be able to latch on to and exploit the energy of multiple things simultaneously.”

  Ben followed the instructions and found himself overwhelmed with energy. His magic started filling, and once it was topped off. His body started to tremble as if it was going to explode. He slowed things down and distanced himself from the energy.

  “Phew!” Ben bellowed. “That feels amazing!”

  [MP: 100/100]

  Hauxwell clapped. “Well done! You can regenerate your mana without chugging like a drunkard on potions. With time and practice, it’ll become as easy as breathing, and you’ll be able to regenerate mana constantly. It’ll become like an endless supply.”

  Ben couldn't believe what was being said and scratched his head. “Are you telling me you can do that without meditating?”

  Hauxwell started to chuckle as if it was a stupid question. “When I fought those soldiers, did you see the gleaming energy surrounding me like flames?”

  Ben nodded. “Yeah, it was a raging fire.”

  “Compared to almost all the other knights, who use their reserves and skills to create such aura, I create mine with the energy of my surroundings. Then, as I use my skills and abilities, I refill my reserves with it.” Hauxwell explained.

  Ben sat there dumbstruck. “I didn't think that was even possible.”

  “Once you become better at [Mana Control], almost anything is possible,” Hauxwel said before sighing. “When I got old, many thought I became like a potato sleeping in my seat almost every hour. Little did they know I was honing my proficiency with these techniques. While the leech was in my neck, I learned much from it and how it worked. It’s the reason I got my youth back.” He looked to the sky and smiled. “If only Aella were here to see what I could achieve.”

  “As long as you’re willing to teach me, I’m here to learn,” Ben stated. “I just hope I’m worthy of these techniques.”

  Hauxwell nodded. “You’ve navigated through the hardest part. Tomorrow, I will show you how to control your mana.”