Mana is important for both Magic-Users and Martial Artists.
This is why it was one of the requirements for choosing the class placements in Ainzlark according to the new system.
Just as my old friend posited in my first life... there are heights unattainable without skill in Mana.
That was why he remained stuck in the Peak stage of Martial Arts despite his freakish talent in the sword... never attaining Transcendence.
Edward now faced a similar problem. His skill in Mana was very low, his Mana Core was despairingly underdeveloped, and he probably had difficulty manifesting his inner mana to enhance himself.
But, unlike the time in my first life, I had a solution to this issue now!
I could try making multiple Mana Cores within Edward, just as I did for myself. This would allow him to increase the speed and efficiency of his Mana use while also boosting the quantity of Mana he had.
Unfortunately, that was impossible.
The young boy's core had already been sullied by the yellow color and was no longer pure. Creating multiple Mana Cores now was out of the window.
If it had been white, even though Edward possessed very little talent in Mana Control, I could have helped him to redirect his Mana Particles and form another Core.
'There's no use crying over spilled milk, though...'
The only other option would be too much of a hassle, but at this point, I just had to do it.
"I always knew I could be a great Swordsman even with my poor talent in Mana! Haha! Who even needs that!" Edward blurted out in excitement.
The moment he said this, my gaze shifted to his overly joyous mood and I gave him a cold glare.
"Are you crazy? Without Mana, you'll be no more than average. What do you think you are?"
My harsh, cold, and blunt statement shook the two who heard me. The atmosphere suddenly shifted and became gloomy in a split second.
"B-but you said I—"
"Don't quote me wrong. I know what I said."
My sharp words cut him short instantly.
"Don't be stupid. Mana is everything. It makes things so much easier. Why would you ever think for even a second that you would be better off without it?"
My words hammered on the boy even more, and he appeared to be on the verge of tears. It seemed like I had raised his hopes and then shattered them apart.
It wasn't my intention to be unnecessarily harsh, but I needed him to rid himself of any toxic thoughts that told him he could be a decent fighter without needing Mana. If he held on to that logic, he would give up halfway through Mana training and settle for what he knew best, Martial Arts.
Though Edward told me to teach him Martial Arts, I wasn't going to stop there. If he wasn't well grounded in Mana, his potential would only be stunted.
"I said you can become strong with your lack of talent in Mana, and I wasn't lying. Even though you're hopeless in it, you have me! I'll help you out!"
Using the method that the Priest used for me when I was younger, as well as making sure we all trained in the secret spot I found earlier, I was going to fill this boy's body to the brim with Mana! His Core would rapidly absorb his Mana Particles and through my expert Mana Control, I would ensure he obtained a decent Core.
'The problem with that is that it'll affect my own training as well. I can only rely on this at the initial stage. He'll need to learn how to do it himself too!'
I was going so far for these kids in hopes that they would be useful to me in the future. Hopefully, I was right.
'Nothing ventured... nothing gained!'
"I'll personally ensure the success of the both of you! That much is guaranteed."
Anabelle and Edward had stars in their eyes as they gazed upon me with so much respect.
"Is that what you wanted to tell us?" Ana asked, still beaming and grinning from ear to ear.
'Oh, yeah! About that...'
"Well, pretty much. But, there's one more thing as well."
"Oh? What is it?" They asked in unison, having even greater expectations surge from within them.
"You'll need to quit all your current Electives so we can make time for training. Also, clear your schedules from the end of classes to about 6:00, no, 7:00 PM. We'll be doing intensive training and a lot of time and effort will be put into it."
Silence.
The pair looked discombobulated the moment my words landed on them. They looked at each other, looked at me, looked at each other again, then looked at me... their expressions told me they weren't prepared to handle this news.
With every action comes an equal and opposing reaction... I knew that very well. And now, in response to my seemingly absurd action... an opposing reaction appeared in full force.
"WHAAAAATTTTTT?!!"
*******************************
As I instructed, both Anabelle and Edward quit their electives.
Their faces looked disheveled after returning from Neron's office for finalizing the details and they muttered words of regret.
"I'll miss you... cultural studies..." Anabelle sniffed as she walked back to her seat.
Edward said something similar, but I didn't even care enough to listen.
The important thing was that they had taken the bold step and proven their determination. With that in mind, I could trust them a little.
'I'll take them to the lake and begin their training there.'
First, they both needed to get a feel of Mana since they were both really inexperienced in it. Anabelle was sure to get it first, so I had the next thing in mind for her. She would rebuild her Mana Core and cause it to advance on her own while I only taught her the basics.
As for Edward, I would personally inject my mana and redirect it to his core in order to increase the growth of his Core too.
As soon as that was over, we would start the main thing.
For Edward, training on proper Martial Arts techniques. I was thinking of beginning with Imperial Sword Arts and Haze Martial Method for him.
[The Illusory Dance] was a basic technique belonging to the Haze Martial Method School, so having him learn it was essential.
For Anabelle, she would learn Spell Activation, and once she got the hang of it, I could teach her more practical uses of Spells. Using the creativity of a Scholar, I was certain she would be able to combine various spells and produce desirable results.
It wouldn't be as fast as mine, since I had multiple Cores, but with her very powerful one, she would be able to compensate greatly.
I also didn't plan to neglect my training and experiments. If these two seemed to be getting in the way of my activities, I would ditch them. But, for now, I didn't see that happening.
The Familiar Selection Ceremony was in merely three weeks... I was eager to see how much we would have grown by then!
'And so it begins!'
