With the mission to settle in the academy and consolidate his path as a scholar-legionnaire already underway, Silas centered his thoughts on the short-term goal of ascending to Senior Brigadier and returning to his village. For this, it was fundamental to familiarize himself with Aether, managing to use it outside of life-or-death situations. This, in turn, required a deeper mastery of Ichor, in synergy with the energy of the legionnaires.

  Ichor was the key in the long term, for it would determine his capacity to keep his arteries, veins, and muscles active when using Aether. However, his limited knowledge turned this process into an arduous trial and error.

  To advance, Silas sought out Professor Bilard with the excuse of refining his "simulation" of Aether channeling. His true purpose was to study the response of Ichor channeling to an external stimulus of Aether, similar to that of the evaluation machine, but under supervision.

  —Professor Bilard —Silas said, approaching him—. I have been reading about methods for Aether initiation and wanted to request your help.

  —Cadet Silas, it depends on what you need —the professor replied.

  Silas, resorting to an invention, explained that he needed the professor to channel Aether into him, claiming to have read that this would accelerate his own channeling process. He could not reveal his true motivation: the absence of his own Aether to channel at will.

  —I think I could help you with that, after classes —Professor Bilard agreed, although his mind wandered: ?I don't know where he read that, but this boy has potential. As long as it doesn't harm him, it could serve as motivation?.

  The procedure was simple: Professor Bilard would place his hands on Silas's back, sending him pulses of Aether. He would start with intensities lower than those of a basic recruit (between 2% and 3%), gradually increasing to the level of a sergeant (approximately 20%), the limit Silas had withstood in the test. Unlike the short cycles of the machine, Silas now had to resist the sensation for prolonged periods.

  For two weeks, Silas took advantage of every practical session to work with Professor Bilard. In that time, he developed a more precise understanding of how to use his Ichor as a protective shield against the Aether.

  —Thank you very much, Professor! These sessions have helped me a lot —Silas said upon concluding.

  —It is fine, Cadet. I still do not know how this could help you with Aether, but on the other hand, I advise you to start training at the academy gym. I have the feeling it will serve you much more than these sessions, and I am sure you will adapt very quickly —Bilard replied.

  In his inner self, the professor smiled: ?Other cadets would faint with this level of Aether infusion, but this boy seems to endure quite a bit of suffering. The gym will do this masochist cadet good?.

  Silas discovered that, up to an approximate intensity of 15%, he could effectively mitigate the pain. This advance gave him the foundation to initiate his own self-taught learning regarding the applications of Ichor.

  In those weeks, Silas formulated the theory that Ichor is an energy intrinsically linked to sensations of satiety and well-being, restoring the body to its optimal vital state, whether by healing injuries or increasing vitality. Although these functions were attributed to the Devotees of Grace, Silas speculated that the other specialties of the Devotees must also be associated with similar sensations.

  In contrast, Cognis manifested as an insatiable search for knowledge, a curiosity to unravel the why of things. Based on his observations of Professor Bilard, Andros, and his own experience defending himself from the Mana beast, Silas concluded that Aether transmitted a sensation of will, of a constant struggle for self-improvement.

  Silas, determined to strengthen his physique to match the sharpness of his mind, received Professor Bilard's recommendation with pleasure, as it facilitated his access to the gym.

  —Thank you very much for the recommendation, Professor! I will go this very day —he said, since he had already decided to strengthen his body beforehand.

  Upon entering the gym, Silas was astonished by its immensity. ?Wow, I think here they spend what they don't use in the library?, he thought, before being interrupted by a legionnaire. It was Felipe, a sergeant not very tall, but with a physique that seemed to compete for the title of the most muscular in the city.

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  —Hey, this is no place for you. If you are seen, you will get in trouble... —Felipe began, but Silas interrupted him, showing him a paper.

  —Use of the gym is approved for Cadet Silas —Felipe read the note signed by Professor Bilard.

  Upon reading it, Felipe looked at him differently. ?Why did Bilard give authorization to such a scrawny kid? Well, he must have his reasons. If something happens to him, it won't be my problem anymore?, he thought.

  The gym, meticulously maintained, was an important meeting point for Legionnaires and functioned almost as a temple to the body. The beginners' area was under the supervision of Felipe, whose imposing figure of one meter eighty was characterized by its harmonious proportions. Felipe, surprised by Bilard's authorization for such a thin lad, decided it was not his concern.

  He explained the rules of the gym in detail: maintain order, clean the equipment, avoid disturbances, and other common norms. However, one rule immediately caught Silas's attention: ?The use of Aether during regular training is strictly prohibited?.

  —Excuse me, Sergeant, why the rule about not using Aether? —Silas asked.

  —This gym is used by the academy's basic cycle, and not many know how to use Aether in the first year —Felipe explained—. If they help themselves with Aether to increase their strength, but fail to maintain the channeling, the weights could crush them. It is to prevent accidents. Furthermore, to use Aether there is the specialization gym, which has machines designed to simulate weights born from imagination. Is that clear, Cadet?

  —Clear, Sergeant, thank you very much —Silas replied.

  —Then, Cadet, you can only use machines and weights without Aether, and now I will pass you a training plan —Felipe said.

  —Thank you very much, but that won't be necessary. I will follow the training plan given to me by a teacher from my village —Silas said, trying not to sound haughty.

  —Ok, as you wish —Felipe replied.

  Silas recognized the logic of this explanation, as it coincided with Andros's warnings and Professor Richard's teachings. Moreover, and as had already been mentioned, Silas lacked the capacity to channel Aether at will, unless his life was in imminent danger.

  Minutes later, Sergeant Felipe observed Silas's training. At first, it was for safety, but soon his observation turned into evaluation. Silas initiated a comprehensive routine that included squats, deadlifts, bench presses, and rows, seeking a balanced physical condition. During rests, he remembered and gradually applied techniques from the training book, combining weights with speed and explosiveness, such as jumps and strikes. He maintained this rigorous routine daily, progressively increasing the weight. Silas's rapid progression and his ability to lift heavier loads surprised Felipe more and more.

  The secret behind Silas's extraordinary advances lay in his private and systematic practice. After each training session in the gym, he went to the isolated rooms, where he channeled Ichor to significantly accelerate his recovery and increase his vitality. This practice was a direct consequence of his training with Professor Bilard, which had granted him a certain mastery over his body's capacity to heal and revitalize itself in the face of damage. However, driven by his own interpretation of the philosophy of Ichor, Silas decided to adopt an innovative approach, imbuing it with a perspective proper to a Legionnaire.

  The traditional conception of Ichor was to heal injuries and restore the body to its original state. In contrast, physical training seeks a controlled "destruction" of muscle tissue to stimulate adaptation and improvement. From this perspective, the simultaneous practice of training and Ichor would be considered counterproductive, as Ichor would nullify the effects of training by returning the body to its initial state, eliminating the stimulus for growth.

  However, Silas asked himself: ?What would happen if I managed to "trick" my Ichor, making it believe that its "natural state" was slightly superior to the original??. Under this premise, instead of healing himself to his state prior to training, his body would heal to the state it would reach several days after the session, when muscle adaptations would have already occurred. In this way, improvements that would normally require three days were achieved in just thirty minutes of Ichor channeling.

  Nevertheless, Silas was aware of the limitations: the "trick" on the Ichor required the simultaneous use of Cognis, carrying undesirable side effects. Among them, significant pain during regeneration, superior to basal levels, and the potential risk that his bones might not withstand the exponential increase in muscle strength if he erred in dosage or intensity. Consequently, Silas had to exercise extremely meticulous precision and control.

  In search of a safer and more efficient alternative, Silas devised an innovative strategy: training using an "armor" of Ichor external to his muscles. This armor provided two main benefits. First, it acted as a safety indicator, alerting him to the maximum intensity his body could tolerate; if it activated, he had to reduce the load. Second, and in an accidental but effective way, the Ichor armor maintained Silas's muscle morphology, preventing visually noticeable growth, while allowing a substantial increase in his strength, creating a very dense and compact fiber.

  Silas quickly understood why legionnaires did not adopt this regimen. The main reason was the high cost of hiring a Devotee of Grace to supervise and apply Ichor in every session, or the need to consume potions. This revelation, however, raised an even deeper question: ?Why did no Devotee train in this way??.

  This approach represented the "holy grail" of training, capable of creating extremely powerful Warrior Devotees. Although perhaps they would not reach the brute strength of a captain or a high-ranking Legionnaire, their combination of strength, dexterity, vitality, and regeneration capacity would make them formidable opponents. A Warrior Devotee, driven by the continuous channeling of Ichor, would be virtually tireless and invulnerable to damage while maintaining the channeling active, resembling an unstoppable Devotee battle machine.

  These ideas, although fascinating, were not entirely new to Silas, as echoes resonated in his mind of abilities he had already imagined.