While the mana was still gathering, the old elf unexpectedly unleashed the whole attack, and the next instant, the ground quaked, and several earth spears rose up at the same time. Naturally, all of them pointed toward Liam.
It looked like he was still holding back. If the old guy really unleashed this attack in its entirety, Liam won't even have any place to dodge.
Even any barrier he erects probably won't be able to hold back the spears. They were strong and sturdy spears that looked as if they were ready to drill through anything. Only instant death awaited him.
The most impressive part was that it had barely taken the elf a few seconds to conjure such a powerful attack, and Liam was sure that this was nothing for him. He was definitely capable of doing more. Just how powerful was this old guy?
"Don't just stand there. Get to it. This spell is simple enough. Gather mana, mix an element you are comfortable with, and send it out."
Liam nodded. Sure, it was just that simple. Regardless, he was also itching to try it out. He decided to try using fire instead of earth, as it was the element he was most comfortable with.
He took a few steps away from Luna and the elf and calmed himself first. Taking a deep breath, he as well raised his hand in the same fashion and started gathering as much mana as he could from the surroundings.
However, the mana he could command and the mana the old elf commanded were on entirely different levels. Liam decided to ignore this for now as he simply tried the best he could.
He then took a deep breath and tried to apply what the elf said, adding some fire elemental essence to this swirl of mana.
Usually, this process was done inside the body, more specifically in the mana core, but now he was trying to combine both his internal and external mana while also adding the elemental attribute.
This drastically increased his mana reserves, and at the same time, he could feel that the resulting magic was going to be so much more powerful. But this also made it that much more difficult.
Liam gritted his teeth and tried to execute the attack. Unfortunately, the first two times, the mana dissipated before he could ever control it properly and unleash it. The next time, it exploded on himself, taking almost half of his health.
The elf watched him with a smug smile as if he was enjoying seeing him fail, and the little fox beside him might as well be munching on popcorn.
However, not even a few minutes had passed when the two widened their eyes in shock. After the first few bad tries, Liam finally managed to get a successful attack through.
There was still a considerable difference between the power level of his attack and the elf's attack. Still, this was the most powerful magic Liam had cast so far in both of his lives combined.
The fiery mana gathered in his hand swirled turbulently, and when unleashed, a big firestorm raged in front of them.
This attack was almost twice as powerful as the [Sizzling Tornado], and more importantly, Liam had learned it from scratch and made it his own, not needing the help of a skill book or the system.
<Ding. You have learned a new skill [Firestorm]>
Liam swiped away the notification and looked at the old elf eagerly, "Your highness-"
"Hmph. Don't get excited just yet." The elf snorted in annoyance. "Your skill is just like you, weak and incompetent. Besides, you haven't started the main part of the training. Try that first, and let me see if something is entering your thick skull."
Ah… Liam bitterly smiled and wiped the sweat off of his forehead. That was right. He still had to try the mana-in and mana-out manipulation techniques. This would basically mean that…
Scrunching his nose, he pondered over it and tried to combine everything together. Once again, it wasn't easy to get it right from the very beginning, but Liam was slowly getting the hang of it.
When he was attempting the skill for the tenth time or so, suddenly, it struck him.
If he were able to gather mana for the spell while at the same time refilling his mana core and replenishing the mana coming out of it, the resulting magic would be so much more potent, powerful, and big.
It would completely be on a different level than the [Sizzling Tornado] and could definitely be a killer finishing move!
Seeing that Liam was beginning to grasp the lesson's central concepts, the elf was satisfied with his progress and prepared to leave, giving him some alone time to train in peace.
He was almost out of the portal when Liam saw it and quickly called after him and ran toward him. "Your highness!" He was not going to let this elf leave here without asking him about the thing that was weighing heavily on his mind.
"Your highness! The corruption in my mana core! Is it related to the chains shackling my mana core?"
"Huh?" The elf stopped in his tracks. He then turned around to reveal a smug smirk and scoffed. "What the hell are you blabbering about?"
"..."
"The shackles you saw around the mana core are just your own imagination, the manifestation of your limit. For instance, it was a seed enveloping the mana core for me. Do you understand?"
Liam nodded. It seemed that he had been hasty in jumping to conclusions. Thankfully, the elf explained it to him quite a bit in detail.
"Have you ever thought about what is the next step after forming a mana core? To survive, you need to reach that step, and to reach that step, you have to nurture and grow your mana core while being constantly limited by these shackles. Ultimately, you have to break your shackles. This would be your true awakening."
Liam's heart pounded. To survive… the elf clearly said to survive, which means if he reached this step, would he be powerful enough to face whatever came after?
The elf did not continue after that and once again turned to leave. When he disappeared through the teleportation gate, only his voice boomed in the empty spot. "You are not ready to face your corruption yet. You have to dig deeper for that."
Liam nodded and returned to his practice as well.
For the first time, there was maybe a clear goal in front of him, and he wanted to achieve it no matter what. He wanted to break these shackles that held him down.
He could tell that it was going to be difficult, but he had to achieve it somehow.
Awakening!
Perhaps it was his intuition, but something told him that he needed to do this at all costs.
Meanwhile… on the other side… the old elf no longer had any trace of arrogance on his face. Instead, he only looked tired and worn out.
"It doesn't matter how hard you try. You will never be able to break those shackles." He mumbled to himself with a sigh. He did not know if not disclosing this information to the human being was the right decision or not.
But… the elf sighed again. He knew for a fact that the human being in front of him would never be able to awaken.
The nether that strengthened him and made him more powerful than everyone else was the same thing that was also going to hold him back. It flowed through those shackles, keeping the mana core down.
For one to grow, the other has to be killed. It was impossible for mana and nether to coexist. So Liam was already doomed from the beginning.
This was also why the old elf did not want to teach him. No matter how much he tried, in the end, his struggles would only be futile.
And his world… yet another would collapse.
"Why did you send him to me, Acalan? What exactly did you expect me to teach him? Even if I did, it would never be enough."
"All these treasures will not save him. The Celestial beast will not be able to save him. Nothing will save him or his world. Only a lonely and desolate future awaits the two of them."
The old elf looked pained as he tiredly walked back to his residence. This place, this world, he had spent far too much time here than he thought that he would.
If there was one thing he had learned in all these years, it was that no one could put an end to his suffering or stop this madness. It was his fate to live for all eternity in this cruel prison.
"At least you will get your peace in your death." The elf sighed and silently resigned to his chamber, drinking from his personal collection of wine.
"Which year did I brew this?" It did not matter. It was all the same for him; a pawn stuck for eternity with no way out.
